To participate fully in Census 2000 is a statement from the community that it counts to be counted as interracial families and multiracial people. The contrast between the dark faces and Mr. Martin's whiteness, his obvious lack of rhythm, and the sheer ludicrousness of the scene evoked chuckles and laughter from audiences. As a youth, I was taught that race is a biological fact. America's rigid racial categorizing system has harmed countless youth. I and millions others have been forced by our government to lie about our racial makeup.
Multiracial people have a history of being denied, shamed, quieted.
We have been America's secret. I lived one third of my life, in a country where it was against the law for me to exist. The abolition of anti-interracial marriage laws in 1967 laid the foundation for multiracial individuals to legally exist. Thirty years after the Supreme Court ruling, for the first time in the history of this great nation, we multiracial people can finally be acknowledged by our government and have the opportunity to be truthful, by checking all the racial heritages that we identify with on a government form, on Census 2000. The office of Management and Budget Directive 15 revision of 1997 mandates that multiracial people have the option to check one or more boxes when we racially self-identify.