Program coordinator Christine Hernandez was an invited panelist at the "Multi-Racial and Multi-Ethnic Identity: A Panel Discussion" event on November 17, 2011. This event was in celebration of Native American Heritage Month, but the topic was not limited to Native American identity. The panel discussion was inspired by the multi-racial and multi-ethnic identities of the members of the Native American & Indigenous Nations Alliance. Like many Native Americans, members have rich racial and ethnic heritage including African American, European American, Hispanic American, and Asian American. This event was in celebration of Native American Heritage Month, but the topic is not limited to Native American identity.
Multi-racial people are the fastest growing demographic group in the United States. The population of American youth who identify as more than one race has increased almost 50%, just since 2000.
The discussion was prompted by four questions but was open to ideas from the audience:
- What does it mean to be multi-racial and how does identifying in such a way affect our lives?
- What are the challenges of being multi-racial? What are the perks?
- How is this rapidly growing demographic group changing our society?
- What does the future hold?
Panelists included:
- Dr. Douthard Butler, associate athletic director for community relations, intercollegiate athletics
- Hannah Sheffield, vice president of the Native American & Indigenous Alliance, undergraduate student studying Global Affairs
- Christine Hernandez, program coordinator, women and gender studies
- Naliyah Kaya, global proficiency certificate program coordinator and doctoral student studying sociology
- Meg Nicholas, Mason and NAIA alumna, BA in History and MAIS in Folklore
- T. Carter, Mason and NAIA alumna