New Category From The Mixed Race Community example essay topic

387 words
Over the past several years, people of mixed race have been pushing for the a dition of a multiracial category to the U.S. Census. The push for this new category from the mixed race community doesn't stem from hatred for the black or white community but for a love of their mixed race heritage and to end the "tug-of-war" they are faced with when having to choose one parent's race over the other. Besides gaining recognition there are important health issues which must be addressed such as, bone-marrow matching and how such race specific syndrome such as Tay-Sachs gets treated in multiracial people. There are limited data banks for multiracial bone-marrow matches and most pharmaceutical companies do not include multiracial in preliminary or experimental drug testing.

With out this inclusion there is no information available to determine how these drugs will affect mixed race Americans. There are some like Larry E. Davis, a professor of Social Work and Psychology who oppose the addition of this new category. Davis claims "to deny being black when everyone else who looks like them is considered black will cause multiracial individuals to lose out on what is a rich heritage and a positive sense of who they are". African-Americans do indeed poses e a rich heritage but what Dr. Davis obviously hasn't considered is that those of a mixed race heritage have not only one rich heritage to enjoy but two. Mixed race individuals also benefit from their background because they can see things from both sides therefore making them more just. I would like to bring to your attention that mixed race Americans do by all means have a positive sense of who they are and that is exactly why the fight for this new category is so important to the mixed race community.

The question of inaccurate data collection has been at the tips of the tongues of those against the new category. They say racial data collected enables the US to monitor efforts to rectify past discrimination. Theis may be true to some extent but allowing hospitals, schools, and employers to automatically place mixed race people in the category of their minority parent is aslo discrimination. Now isn't that the post calling the kettle black.