Project RACE

Project RACE

1. What is the goal of this organization?
Project RACE advocates for multiracial children and adults through education, community awareness and legislation. Their main goal is for a multiracial classification on all school, employment, state, federal, local, census and medical forms when it asks for race.

“Multiracial people should have the option of recognizing all of their heritage. ‘Multiracial’ is important so that children have an identity, a correct terminology for who they are. ‘Other’ means different, a label that no person should bear. Also, without proper racial and ethnic classifications, multiracial people are "invisible" in the health care system.”

2. Who is behind this website?
Project RACE was founded by Susan Graham and Chris Ashe as a non-profit corporation in the fall of 1991. It is a national and all volunteer organization supported by individual donations and contributions, membership fees are not required.

3. What are its projects?
*Teen Project RACE organization- for young adolescents and children to get involved and help promote diversity in their communities.

*Project RACE drafted and is supporting a bill in California for K-12 students to be able to identify themselves as biracial or multiracial on school forms in the state.

*Organize Bone Marrow Donation Drives- along with other community projects- helps community and promotes multiracialism.

*Has updates on legislation having to do with multiracial categories- keeps current news posted and other information about getting involved in projects, what is going on in legislation, and how people can support the multiracial category advocacy.

4. Accomplishments:

*Progressive legislation for a multiracial classification has been passed in Ohio, Illinois, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan and Maryland.

*Project RACE has persuaded districts (such as Fairfax County, Virginia) and states (North Carolina and Florida) around the country to utilize the classification.

*The ACT Scholastic Test added the multiracial classification in May 1995.

*In June of 1993, Project RACE representatives testified before the Congressional Subcommittee on Census and Population.

*Project RACE represented the multiracial community at a meeting of federal government agencies at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington.

*Project RACE continues to work with the Office of Management and Budget, Census Bureau and members of Congress. Federal legislation was introduced on February 25, 1997.

*Project RACE Executive Director Susan Graham and Project RACE member Nathan Douglas testified before the House Subcommittee on Government Management, Information and Technology on July 25, 1997.

5. Do the goals, projects, mission statement reflect a particular position? Project RACE is advocating for the rights of multiracial/ biracial people in the census, schools, health care. Multiracial people have to be represented equally as everybody else.

Relates to themes discussed in class

Open and closed families:
Project RACE is working on creating a set multiracial category so that the closed families will see that it is not a disgrace to be racially mixed- that it is accepted. It will allow for multiracialism to become an actual/legal part of society and not continue to be seen as different or not belonging.

Visual cartography:
It can be said that we are living in a monoracial cartography because society continue to only identify one race. If people are biracial or multiracial they are identified by their appearance or placed in the race that is inferior. Project RACE and organizations are trying to make society into a multiracial cartography. By informing the public and getting awareness out, multiracialism is being promoted and hopefully getting closer to a multiracial cartography.

Monoracial logic:
Open up the world of multiracialism, we are not in a monoracial society anymore, change is occurring and by having a multiracial category and promoting diversity, people will have to become aware. Project RACE is constantly promoting and is involved in making sure that multiracial and biracial identity is represented.


Tripping the color line:
The color line is still present and will continue to be as long as people are still patrolling it. Multiracial couples have crossed the color line and have been faced with discrimination. People of multiracial identities are not being adequately represented and Project RACE is trying to make multiracialism a legal category. The color line has to disappear and having a category for multiracial is a big step towards it.

Class or caste systems:
There will always be a class system, but project RACE and other organizations are fighting so that the system is not based on race.

Multiracial category advocacy:
Project RACE is a multiracial category advocate. They are involved in legislation to make sure that multiracialism is being represented. Promoting to the community and society is a great way to make sure that diversity is being exposed.

Bill of rights for multiracial people:
Multiracial/biracial people should not have to choose on side of their identity. They have the right to identify however they want without being judged by their racial groups. They should not have to prove that they are enough of one race or the other. Project RACE is fighting for these rights and is doing it with their members and the support form their community and society.

Project RACE is a great organization that is really involved in the society and government. They are fighting for the rights of multiracial people and is the voice for many of them. It is up to them and us to make sure that their progress continues so that changes happen in our society that will benefit all.