Hello CSWAC Supporter,
This is part 5 of a 10-part series by Dr. Charley Flint and Jeff Hitchcock, CSWAC’s founders, on our future direction. We value your time and support.
WEEK 5
Silos, Everywhere
Multiracial communities have existed throughout history, though many remain overlooked. One striking example is Father Divine, who, in the 1930s, established 30 interracial communities with 2,600 people in Ulster County, New York. Countless similar stories exist, but they are often presented as isolated instances—bright spots amid broader tragedies—leaving a fragmented narrative of multiracial community in the US.
A self-identified multiracial community exists today comprising individuals of mixed-race heritage and families formed through interracial marriages and transracial adoptions. However, the political consciousness of this self-identified group has declined considerably over the past two decades even as its numbers have grown.
We, Charley and Jeff, come from this community but use the term “multiracial community” more broadly. We see this expanded view as vital to the nation’s future. Beyond familial ties, multiracial community also describes groups of monoracial people united in shared purpose across lines of race. Yet, outside of CSWAC, few explicitly claim to be building multiracial communities.
Many efforts implicitly build anti-racist multiracial community but use different terms such as racial justice, civil rights, DEI, belonging, and reconciliation. While these frames differ, they align with CSWAC’s work and vision, reflecting shared goals of fostering equity and unity through diverse approaches to combating racism and promoting community.
Anti-racist training and organizing groups, as part of their anti-racist focus, have often been successful in building multiracial organizations. Multiracial community has also formed in some social and environmental justice groups where interracial solidarity has been a point of practice.
Another body of work is directed at residential and school integration, including policy development, activism, and civic engagement.
Some faith congregations have within their body smaller multiracial groups working with the intent that the larger body also become multiracial. The same may be said of many workplaces.
Progressive think tanks are now lifting up the concept of multiracial democracy. Some thought leaders like Heather McGhee (The Sum of Us) are starting to frame a multiracial analysis.
Multiracial friendship and family circles exist within the arts, scholarly and activist communities.
Social science theories and research (sociology, psychology, anthropology, intercultural communications, counseling, etc.) have much to contribute that can be useful to the practice of building multiracial community.
While these efforts sometimes overlap, they lack a shared approach to building multiracial community. Instead, they remain localized or “siloed,” limiting their understanding of the larger need.
Organizations working in these areas often develop their own approaches to multiracial community-building, leading them to view their work as distinct and unique. This inward focus on their immediate purpose hinders collaboration across organizations and the development of the broader political consciousness needed to build a cohesive multiracial community and establish a multiracial center for the nation.
Charley Flint . . . . . . Jeff Hitchcock
Next Tuesday: Exposing the Monoracial Norm