Between Black and Brown: Blaxican (Black-Mexican) Multiracial Identity in California |
Between Black and Brown: Blaxican (Black-Mexican) Multiracial Identity in California
Journal of Black Studies
Published online before print on: 2011-02-22
DOI: 10.1177/0021934710376172
Rebecca Romo
University of California, Santa Barbara
This article explores the racial/ethnic identities of multiracial Black-Mexicans or “Blaxicans.” In-depth interviews with 12 Blaxican individuals in California reveal how they negotiate distinct cultural systems to accomplish multiracial identities. I argue that choosing, accomplishing, and asserting a Blaxican identity challenges the dominant monoracial discourse in the United States,in particular among African American and Chicana/o communities. That is, Blaxican respondents are held accountable by African Americans and Chicanas/os/Mexicans to monoracial notions of “authenticity.” The process whereby Blaxicans move between these monoracial spaces to create multiracial identities illustrates crucial aspects of the social construction of race/ethnicity in the United States and the influence of social interactions in shaping how Blaxicans develop their multiracial identities.
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Tags: California, Journal of Black Studies, Rebecca Romo