“We’re going to be the new white [people]:” multiracial Americans envision the future

Abstract

ABSTRACT As the multiracial population continues to rise, research on this population has expanded. Although multiracial people are often referred to as the future face of America, there are no empirical studies that centre how multiracial individuals themselves envision the future of race relations, given their unique racial vantage point. I analyse how 23 multiracial people of different racialized ancestries, although all have white ancestry, envision the future of race relations in the United States. Most participants anticipated negative race relations due to the lack of current impactful institutional initiatives that would facilitate meaningful change. Many participants predicted a nuanced perspective, yet they echoed the significance of systemic shifts for real change to unfold. Fewer participants offered positive predictions that were rooted in individualism. I consider the implications of these findings in a society that often proclaims a positive racial future, in part, due to the multiracial population.