struggles of interracial children
- Facing Racism - children that are biracial can often be targeted seeing as they don't fit into one specific race category.
- Identity Crisis - because biracial embody to different racial groups that can often be stereotyped differently, it is important that they are educated about themselves and who they are so that an identity crisis is subdued.
- Grandparent Conflict - occasionally traditional views will keep grandparents that are a certain race from seeing their grandchild due to interaction with another race, this can lead to troubling views from the child.
- Sibling Conflict - often siblings of interracial and biracial families will have different colored skin, this can lead to problems in society if one person is perceived as "white" and another sibling isn't.
While these are just a few personal and social struggles that interracial children face, incorporating literature that deals with the struggles or the happiness that children face in interracial families can help a child to better identify themselves as who they are in society.
How Can We Help Biracial Children Form Positive Identities?
- Read stories featuring characters that are of multiracial backgrounds.
- Purchase dolls, puzzles, posters etc. that represent people of different races & cultural backgrounds.
- Have multiracial guests visit the classroom.
- Group students in a variety of ways, so that all students can interact with one another.
- Have children create different art projects that feature different types of people.
- Create opportunities where children can discuss issues related to children's identities.
Source: Bordere, T. & Wade, J. (2001). Supporting Biracial Children's Identity Development. Childhood Education, 77(3), 134-138.