Effects of Multiracial Identification on Students' Perception of Racism

Zongli Tang, Auburn University
Ann Marcus, Auburn University
Larry Mullins, Auburn University
Kimberly Brackett, Auburn University

In this paper, we compare the different perceptions of racism experienced by white, black, and white/black multiracial students on the urban campus of a Southern land grant university. Our study discovers that mixed race students, in this case Black/White, perceive a greatest degree of racial difficulty on campus among the three groups. It is not only a reflection of confusion with their identity but also a reality of severe discrimination against them. When hostility exists between two racial groups, intermarried couples and their descendants would be probably despised and isolated by both groups.