“Baseline Study on Diversity Segments: Multirace Americans” adds to the Institute’s growing collection of baseline papers examining what existing research teaches us in specific areas of practice. Bey-Ling Sha, Ph.D., of San Diego State University explores scholarship and government data regarding multirace Americans.
The U.S. government has collected race data since the first census in 1790, but respondents could not identify with more than one group until 2000. In that year, more than 6.8 million Americans claimed more than one race.
What races are most likely to be multirace, where do they live, and what are their ages? How have social sciences changed their approach to multiracial identity changed over time? Sha answers these questions and more, suggesting ways to segment multiracial Americans and posing important considerations for public relations practice.
I am excited that Americans are being open about who the are. Being multi- raced just offers more hoildays and culture to explore. Embracing all that our roots have genetically provided us is part of turning the cheek to racial prides. In the end Americans will indeed just be determined by that alone instead of White, Latino, Black, etc.. We will just be mixed!
Thanks for these encouraging comments! In response to Mr. Fernandez, I would say that the challenges for communication professionals are two-fold. First, we must determine when, in which situations, racial identity matters. There are times when racial identity matters and times when it does not. Then, in situations where racial identity does matter, we need to determine, with respect to multirace individuals, which racial identities are salient.
In short, the relevance of multiraciality is situational. For that reason, I would agree that using what worked in the past may simply not work in the present, and what works in the present cannot be relied on to work in the future.
This brings us to two key solutions: research and measurement. First, research—just do it! Communication professionals and the organizations they work for cannot afford to assume they know who their audiences are. Second, measurement—we need to figure out the best way to measure self-identities or avowed identities. Many scholars are working on that, and if you would like to get involved, I encourage you to contact me so that we can work together!
The matter of self identity seems to be especially crucial. Do multi-cultural individuals prefer a specific way of being communicated to? What are the triggers? Does it matter? Does one prefer to be communicated to as Black, Hispanic, Korean or does one prefer words and cues from the dominant culture?
When we look at matters of diversity and/or multiculturalism, we tend to look for aggrieved parties or feel sorry for someone, when our task as communicators and PR professionals is to understand the audiences we are trying to reach and be understood by them in a way that improve the reputation of our client, alter a perception, drive a specific behavior or generate a specific business result. Hard to do that sometimes when decisions are based on tactics that seemingly worked or didn’t work in the past…without taking into consideration that the world and our culture have changed and the formulas that worked 20 years ago may no longer apply.
Bey-Ling provides us with a wonderful overview and a farsighted challenge for our research and teaching, as well as practice of PR. Good for us as citizens of the world too!