The Multiracial Organization of Students at Tufts (MOST) hosted a forum on being multiracial and screened a film on the subject in the Terrace Room last Thursday night.
Director Jessica Chen Drammeh showed her unfinished documentary, "Anomaly," which explores the struggle of multiethnic persons who become increasingly conscious of their complex background through music or community organization.
The film portrayed beingmultiracial as a broad category of races and ethnicities that does not boil down to a mere distinction between black and white. The film aimed to break down stereotypes fostered by the media concerning multiethnic individuals, according to its creator.
"I wanted to [dispel] the image of a 'tragic mulatto'" said Drammeh, adding that multiracial people are often represented in the media as either tragic film characters or exotic models.
Drammeh said "Anomaly" shows that the contributions of multiethnic people extend far beyond that of entertainment value.
The film was followed by a panel discussion with five multiracial students, including a Caucasian-Asian, a Latin-Pakistani, and a Mexican-Irish, among others. The students gave personal accounts of growing up as multi-ethnic in the United States.
Some, like panelist Terry Levine, who is white, Jewish, and Filipino, said that growing up he "strived for this goal of normalcy" - and did not focus much on his complex background.
Drammeh said race is not "a very remarkable part of who they are" to many multiracial people.
Other students were able to "fuse cultures," according to panelist Marisa Romo. "On St. Patrick's Day, we would have green enchiladas," Romo said, who shares Mexican and Irish heritages.
The students shared varying experiences being multiracial at Tufts. The University's wide variety of racial and ethnic centers allows students to connect with others from similar backgrounds.
"I think Tufts is different," senior Morgan Harper said. "I got the opportunity to [choose] my identity at the Africana Center."
Levine agreed. "I've come to embrace my two heritages" he said.
Despite the existence of organizations to help students connect based on shared ethnicity and race, some said Tufts' relatively small student body results in a reduced scope of diversity.
"I had become so self-conscious about my identity at Tufts," said Romo, who discovered as a freshman that she was the only Mexican-American in the Association of Latin American Students.
Many of the panelists felt they could identify more with people sharing their culture than with others of a similar race - which made finding common community more difficult. "I consider myself ethnically mixed, not racially mixed" panelist Amina Khawja said.
Audience members posed questions about what was in store for the multi-ethnic community, and whether a "multiracial movement" was necessary - a question that Drammeh called "unresolved."
Drammeh said there is definitely a community for multiracial students, but she was uncertain as to "whether that translates into a formal social justice agenda."
There is, however, a marked increase in academic interest concerning multiracial identity. "More and more colleges are offering courses in multiraciality," said Drammeh, who included perspectives from the academic community in "Anomaly."
The speakers agreed that the most significant multiracial "movement" is rooted in the individual. "Being mixed race had been a struggle for me when I was [younger] but now it is my priority," Khawja said. "Know yourself and be comfortable with that."
