Despite the United States being called a melting pot, once considering society’s workings, it can be said that the country is actually more like a salad. Though there are many groups of people in the US, as a whole, separation of these groups is a big part to do with the way society works. Because of this, many prejudices and stereotypes exist, and many researched topics have to do with observing specific groups. Racism is a prominent issue in modern society; many countries treat minorities differently than they would the majority race. In the United States, many minorities were considered subhuman until recently. An example is the legalization of interracial marriage in 1967. Laws that allowed for non-white people to be treated in a different manner let racist mindsets flourish. Due to the recent understanding that every race must be treated equally, there are still many issues that need to be fixed in modern society. This problem is recognizable to many. One group, however, is highly ignored in the psychological field, and therefore continue to experience racism at a rate that affects them greatly. Citizens of a mixed-race in the United States are highly susceptible to repeated microaggressions, as well as judgement from any racial group – including the ones they are a part of (Sundstrom 287). 

First, to understand how important this situation is, one must know the facts about multiracial citizens: “According to the 2010 US Census, the number of people who identified as multiracial grew more than any other single race since 2000, up 32 % to nine million (US Census Bureau 2012). The multiracial ethnic group is comprised of a heterogeneous group of individuals with a combination of racial and ethnic identities. Though inherently diverse, early researchers categorized multiracial individuals into specific minority groups based on the one-drop rule of racial classification,” (Fisher et al. 1688).

Countries such as the United States are built on a monoracial structure. These structures allow for racial groups to remain divided, and continue to enforce mindsets that each race must look or behave in a certain manner (Xu 650). Legal documents for citizens may ask for the race of an individual. If a multiracial option is not given, then those who are not monoracial are forced to decide which race they fit best. Situations like these provide an influx of identity issues that form into mental health problems, and can begin at a young age for this group. Thus, it should be known that multiracial citizens face problems that greatly affect them throughout their lives. With this group being the fastest-growing in the US, society must make changes to understand and provide better treatment of these citizens.

One prime example of these citizens being failed is the study of children of a mixed descent. With pressure to adhere to a certain race’s expectations, these young children are forced to choose between races they should identify as, despite being multiracial (McVeigh 2014). These children develop mental health problems that cannot be regularly treated due to the lack of knowledge and understanding for these situations. As stated earlier, this group is the fastest-growing in the US, and therefore treatments must be developed to properly help children in need. 

One of the more prominent issues among multiracial children is the lack of representation they receive in school. Many holidays and events for minority students are appearing in schools’ curriculums to allow these children experience their cultures, as well as celebrate their lineage. However, there are no historical events or holidays that center around someone who is mixed-race, and therefore these kids end up lacking a figure to look up to. Thus, some issues that come up with their identity is the lack of appreciation for their ethnic backgrounds (Wardle 13). Without the proper celebration and appreciation of figures who are like them, these children end up lacking in self-confidence and begin to believe people like themselves cannot become successful. Xu’s research can understand this societal system; societies like the United States have built their country on splitting up racial groups, and therefore focus on individual groups when it comes to understanding how they must be treated or celebrated. Therefore, multiracial children do not have a proper place in a structured society like so, and begin to suffer the consequences that will impact them for much of their lives.

In Being and Being Mixed Race, by Sundstrom, he states “People are expected to be only one of these categories. Those who do not fit into this nation's racial typology are social anomalies, and are unwelcome reminders to society that race is fluid and that taboos against miscegenation have been transgressed.” From the previous statement, the realization of being different from the norm is easily learned at a young age. “Multiracial and multiethnic students are placed in a no-man’s land regarding ethnic and racial self-esteem at school. Although many school books and classes include contributions by all the diverse groups of people that make up the rich history of this nation, there is no evidence of the existence and contributions of people of mixed racial and ethnic heritage.” (Wardle 12). Due to the way the US has formed, and how quickly diversity expands, multiracial citizens are growing up in a society that has not yet acted to give them the attention and treatment needed.

Sundstrom brings up a point in how rejecting part of one’s background is to take part in racism. By the ability to pick and choose which identity one wants to use, they are admitting that being mixed-race is inherently wrong, and that one part of their lineage is better than any others. Sundstrom also has discussed how multiracial citizens can be rejected by any group they are descended from. If someone is half-white and half-black, both groups can judge this person due to their behavior, that can be considered incorrect, and how they do not fit in with the social norm depicted of their group. 

A well-known example of this is stated by Durrow; when Barack Obama began running for president, he stated that he was mixed-race. This began to give people a figure to look up to, as Presidents are always discussed in school and showcased in a good light, but not too long after becoming the president, he was known as “America’s First Black President”. Articles have shown that Obama himself began to check off as black in the Census. This rejection of his lineage showcases how much society forces a different standard, and many citizens were stripped of a figure. This enforces the idea that successful people are monoracial, or can only identify with one race in particular. In an article written by Diana Sanchez, she discusses how forced-choice dilemmas are linked to depressive symptoms in multiracial people. She quotes, “Forced-choice dilemmas refer to situations in which multiracial people are asked or pressured to choose between their multiple racial identities, rather than being allowed to identify with their multiple racial identities”. She explains that it is known to researchers that multiracial citizens face a unique set of problems, due to being in multiple racial groups. 

Since society is built on its citizens being monoracial, it struggles with helping those who do not fit in. The United States in particular enforces a single race, a single identity, and so on. When it comes to handling problems, they use tactics that have worked in the past that applied to certain racial groups. As discussed earlier, Xu’s monoracial research can clearly explain how societal structures fail multiracial citizens. Sanchez’s points out the same situation in her paper; multiracial citizens are forced to choose an identity, and may end up feeling disloyal to part of their family. This also adds to a gradual dislike of one’s self, and therefore build up to mental health problems that can include depressive symptoms and anxiety (Fisher et al. 1688). 

In the article written by Fisher et al., they stated, “Diversity within the school context can influence how others group multiracial students, and how they in turn decide to identify. Multiracial youth may have to negotiate social groupings thrust upon them and come to their own understanding of what group(s) they identify with.” These forced-choice dilemmas are a main part of the issue that overall affects multiracial citizens. By being failed in a monoracial society, and therefore not getting the proper representation needed, mixed-race youth begin to learn to reject part of their identity. They then learn to dislike themselves, as well as feel disloyal to part of their family. This in turn causes mental health problems. The problem is complex.

One of the biggest issues in this topic has been repeated by many authors; the concept of racial identity, and what exactly it does to make children feel as a part of society. To have the own ability to change identities to what best fits a situation is to agree that, depending on the situation, some races have benefits or disadvantages. By enforcing this ideal, it can be understood that racial divisions are very ingrained into society, and therefore impacts those who do not fit into the norm. These kids are forced to decide who they want to be seen as, who to associate with, and how they need to act due to the potential rejection of a group they are a part of (Sundstrom 301). 

In the article by Fisher et al., the description of the problem is stated as;

“Multiracial individuals have a complex history of racial classification within the United States (Shih and Sanchez 2005). This complexity presents itself during adolescence in schools when students struggle to group others into like groups and individuals try to determine where they fit in. According to social identity theory, people are grouped based on meaningful similarities; acceptance of, and into, these social groupings facilitates positive identity development and can promote positive mental health outcomes”.

With the knowledge of social grouping helps present an understandable and scientific term that can help those who do not understand how easily affected youth in schools can be affected by societal acceptance.

As stated earlier by Wardle, multiracial students need to gain better access to education about other multiracial figures and their successes in society. With knowledge of successful multiracial people, holidays centered around them, and even cultural background to things that were made by multiracial people, these kids can feel welcomed and accepted as the way they are. The lack of such figures and holidays allow the kids to fail at understanding how they can be successful, how they fit into society, and what social group they want to be a part of. This confusion and lack of appreciation for their multiethnic backgrounds are major causes into how their mental health develops later into the future.

The growing of this group, of course, is allowing for better changes into the treatment and understanding of these people. Sundstrom states at the beginning of his article that “society has moved towards identifying individuals with mixed-race backgrounds as multiracial, instead of placing them within monoracial categories”. With small improvements like these, society can gain better footing on accepting and making those who multiracial to feel accepted. More research is being put into this specific group, as treatments for them differ, but with steps like these being taken, the problem can eventually be eased. 

Since this is the fastest-growing ethnic group, eventually the problem will be solved and more understood with populations gradually becoming a part of this group. This growing group can also begin to eliminate racist ideas of how groups should act and look like. Once race becomes less of a social norm, many new things will be implemented and understood by society and can enforce that all citizens are one and the same. However, some can argue that without race, discrimination and prejudice will begin to be mostly ignored. Actions and events that occur due to race will become very vague in a society without race, and may not be labelled as a hate-crime. Race, for some people, also allow a way to find a group they can connect and bond with due to similar backgrounds and similar experiences growing up. When one is multiracial, their experience is unique on its own, and may begin to gradually push away groups that can benefit being together. 
