Asian-White Mixed Identity after COVID-19: Racist Racial Projects and the Effects on Asian Multiraciality

Abstract

With the onset of the Coronavirus and racist statements about the origins of COVID-19 in 9 China there has been a surge in anti-Asian discrimination in the United States. The U.S. case is worthy of special focus because of former President Trump’s explicit racist rhetoric, referring to the 11 Coronavirus as the “China virus” and “Kung-flu”. This rise in anti-Asian discrimination has led to 12 a heightened awareness of racism against Asians and a corollary increase in AAPI activism. Based 13 on survey and in-depth interview data with Asian-White multiracials, we examine how recent 14 spikes in anti-Asian hate has shifted Asian-White multiracials to have a more heightened awareness 15 of racism and a shift in their racial consciousness. We theorize how multiracials intermediary sta-16 tus on the racial hierarchy can be radically shifted at any moment in relation to emerging racist 17 racial projects, which has broader implications for the status of mixed people globally.

Making sense of conflicting messages of multiracial identity: a systematic review

“…A different theme that arose related to identity was how Multiracial individuals with a white background identified. Across the articles, when a Multiracial individual had a White parent they were more likely to identify with their parent of color (i.e., Native, Asian) rather than with the white parent, except in cases where their phenotype was not aligned with the stereotypical image of a person of color ( Khanna, 2004 ; Iwasaki and Byrd, 2010 ; Hordge-Freeman and Loblack, 2021 ; Strmic-Pawl et al, 2022 ).…”

Storytelling for Asian–White multiracial American college students’ racial identity.

“…L. Harris, 2018). Second, they are exposed to anti-Asian hate and homogenizing narratives using the model minority myth and perpetual foreigner stereotypes (Strmic-Pawl et al, 2022;Yang et al, 2022). K. H. Chong and Song (2022) critiqued how the current literature perpetually renders the invisibility of Asian-White multiracial Americans while overlooking the prevailing anti-Asian racism.…”

“…Their racial identities play a role in how they are treated by others (Chen et al, 2019). Some of them foster deep connections to their Asian ancestry, culture, and heritage; feel an affinity with other Asian people and communities; and do not desire to be White (K. L. Harris, 2018;Murphy-Shigematsu, 2012;Strmic-Pawl et al, 2022;Williams-Leo ´n & Nakashima, 2001).…”

“…L. Harris, 2018). Second, they are exposed to anti-Asian hate and homogenizing narratives using the model minority myth and perpetual foreigner stereotypes (Strmic-Pawl et al, 2022; Yang et al, 2022). K.…”