The participating organizations from across the country reached a consensus that a “check one or more box” format rather than a separate multiracial identifier would serve the highest community good.

“The participating organizations [of the Third Multiracial Leadership Conference in October 1997] from across the country reached a consensus that a “check one or more box” format rather than a separate multiracial identifier would serve the highest community good. It would: a) allow for the celebration of diverse heritages; b) support the continued monitoring of existing civil rights legislation that impacted multiracial people directly; and c) it would also provide the most information for the accurate collection of racial/ethnic data for medical diagnosis and research… Only Project RACE rescinded its initial endorsement of the Multiracial Summit Statement.”

Ramona Douglass, “The Evolution of the Multiracial Movement,” in the Multiracial Child Resource Book: Living Complex Realities, ed. Maria P. P. Root and Matt Kelley (Seattle: MAVIN Foundation, 2003), 14.

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