Why Must I Choose: Multiracial Students Negotiating Identity at a PWI

Abstract

College and university campuses are typically the most diverse environments students have ever inhabited. Higher education is an opportunity for students to discover their authentic selves. Universities facilitate student development by creating population-specific resources for marginalized students and motivating them to become involved. Many resources are monoracially designed. Unfortunately, higher education has a history of perpetuating monoracism in involvement opportunities and not considering fluidity as multiracial individuals explore their holistic identity. Instead, universities need to influence positive social behavior in multiracial identity development by encouraging multiracial students to explore their fluidity, rather than negotiate their identity when choosing monoracial organizations in higher education.