Some people of mixed heritage choose to focus on one race exclusively, because that is how they see themselves or how society insists on labeling them. Some embrace their diverse background, because they believe that choosing otherwise would deny part of their family or part of themselves.
Census 2000 asked all Americans to state for the record, for the first time, whether they consider themselves to be a member of a single race.
Instead of the five distinct racial groupings of the previous census, it allowed people to select multiple race categories. There are 63 possible choices.
Nationally, 2.4 percent of Americans said they are two or more races.
Maine is one of the whitest states in the nation, and only 1 percent of people here – 12,647 Mainers – chose to identify themselves as belonging to two or more races. A miniscule 0.1 percent consider themselves to be part of three or more races.
Even so, the new census question got thousands of Mainers thinking about who they are and how their racial identity fits into society.
"At least what the census did was make it a matter of choice," LaFromboise said.
Here are some stories from Mainers who confronted that choice. Happy to have a choice Nine years ago, June Thornton-Marsh was pregnant.
For months as her belly grew, Thornton-Marsh fantasized about what her child would look like when she was born. Would her daughter have her husband's Irish, Welsh, German and English features, or would her own Japanese, African American and Native American be most prominent? Would it be a combination?
It was during this period of wonder that Thornton-Marsh said she truly realized the value of acknowledging her own multiracial identity.
"She has hazel eyes and light brown hair," said Thornton-Marsh, who noted her daughter is also very fair. "For her to deny her African American and Native American heritage would be like denying I gave birth to her.
"(My daughter) is very multiracial and I didn't want her to be in denial of who she was," said Thornton-Marsh.
That experience caused Thornton-Marsh to rethink her own views on race. She had spent her younger years denying her Japanese heritage derived from her mother, who was born and raised in Japan. Instead, she exclusively adopted her father's African American identity.
The fact that she "looks" black caused her to identify with the black community, she said. It also made her a target for discrimination against blacks.
In the past, when filling out census or job forms, Thornton-Marsh said she has crossed out the "other" category and checked all three of her racial backgrounds. But this past census is the first in which the government has accepted such answers as legitimate, and Thornton-Marsh could not have been more pleased.
"The bottom line for me as a multiracial person is that I want to have a say in how I identify myself," she said. "Anytime you give me a choice and you don't limit me, leave the answer up to me. It is another step toward acknowledging who we are." Identifying with one race For Nolan Thompson, the words struck with both bitterness and irony.
Thompson was waiting tables at a Portland restaurant to support his pursuit of a doctorate when a restaurant patron, who claimed Thompson had not put his order directly in front of him, insulted Thompson.
The person called Thompson "stupid" and used a slur attacking his African American heritage, said Thompson, whose father is both African American and Italian. "He never said you stupid Italian. . . . There's never been any confusion about that," said Thompson.
That incident helps explain why Thompson identifies himself as African American, even though he has Dutch, Italian and Native American blood as well.
"It's just easier, and you are accepted by the black community," he said. "If I tried to pass myself as a white Italian, it would not come close to happening."
Thompson said his physical appearance as an African American man has played a role in identifying with the group. He does not believe he has limited himself by not including his Italian blood on work forms or the census.
When asked about golfer Tiger Woods, who has publicly proclaimed his multiracial background, Thompson noted that Woods also has strong Thai features, which are derived from his mother, who is predominately Thai.
"It doesn't fly for me," Thompson said. "I'm definitely black. I have light skin. I'm wearing an Afro. I want people to be clear."
Thompson said the only way people would know he has Italian in his blood is if he made eggplant Parmesan.
"There is no utility in my trying to be anything other than being African American, it wouldn't work," Thompson said. "It wouldn't happen." In tune with two cultures Run Chneang has come to expect the puzzled looks. The glares. The confusion.
Every time she walks into family functions with her 6-year-old son, Gerry, the same routine occurs.
"They always stare at him," Chneang said. "Then they look at me. It's always been like that. It's like they do a double-take or something."
Chneang, 23, is Cambodian, but her son has darker skin and less-distinct Cambodian features. That's because his father is Mexican, and Gerry has inherited many of his features.
Chneang said her son understands that he is biracial but she has never heard him identify himself as such. Living in Maine with Chneang and her family, he is exposed to the Cambodian aspect of his culture rather than the Mexican side; Chneang moved away from her son's father in California to attend school.
While living near him in California, Gerry grew up speaking Spanish as well as English and Khmer. He has since lost much of his Spanish from lack of use, his mother said.
Chneang said she was concerned when she moved to Maine that there would be little Chicano influence. She looks forward to this summer, which her son will spend with his father.
"He is going do things their way, and explore his Mexican heritage and family ways," Chneang said. "He can have the best of worlds."
Chneang said she felt liberated to indicate both of his racial backgrounds on the 2000 census. On past single-choice forms, Chneang has marked her son as only Cambodian.
"Nowadays, I think it feels better that we have more categories for race," she said. "There are so many different people from different countries and people from all different races coming together. My son can be half-Mexican and Cambodian." Downplays racial labels Alyssa Hall, whose father is black and mother is white, said she has seen too many people of biracial backgrounds get "held up" reacting to how people label them. She said people should be defined more by their character and interests than by their appearance – whether their background is from one race or more.
"If (someone) wants to know who I am they can sit down and talk to me, but if they want to know what color I am they will say that I'm black," said Hall, who is 30. "Everybody is born with gifts and value and then society puts all this other stuff on you to worry you. For me, being a Christian is much more important than my color."
Hall said she didn't really think much about her race growing up in Maine. Though her caramel skin tone often causes people to identify her as black, she felt like she "fit in" as a biracial child and identified herself as such.
Hall said she indicated both racial identities on her Census 2000 form, and believes asking people about their true background respects cultural differences. This process minimizes the distractions created by focusing too heavily on race.
Hall did see one drawback to the categories, though. As a member of Green Memorial Church on Munjoy Hill, Hall is helping to organize a program called Health 2000. One of the upcoming projects is reaching out to the black community with HIV/AIDS education; studies show that group has traditionally lacked information on the disease, she said.
If the census report provides vague demographic data on areas where black people settle, Hall is concerned that the church's work could be hindered.
"If we were in New York City it would be easy to go into barrios with predominately black population, but here less than 2 percent in Maine is black," Hall said. "They could be all over the place." Telling full racial history Ruth Osborn admits that growing up in Maine, she assimilated into American mainstream culture. But Osborn, whose mother is Japanese and whose father is Scottish, English and French, said she never forgot her diverse roots.
"It was always a part of who I am," said Osborn. "I've never tried to deny the Japanese part. It's just more natural to say I'm both."
It wasn't always natural to build a strong Japanese cultural identity growing up in Maine, though. Osborn moved to the Bangor area from Tokyo when she was 6 months old. In Maine, interaction with other Japanese people was rare and the Japanese cultural outlets were limited.
For those reasons, at age 46, Osborn said she has a profound interest in Japanese art and culture. She is also a member of the Japan America Society of Maine.
Osborn said describing herself as just one race would not tell the whole story. Her influences have come from both parents. "I learned about Hiroshima and Pearl Harbor," she said.
In the past, Osborn marked "Asian" when an employment or census question came up because she identifies strongly as an Asian American.
"It just seemed like it was important somehow to bring it up," Osborn said.
Her experience as a person with a multiracial background has enlightened her to the fact that so many elements of her character are universal. For example, people often believe she gets her artistic ability from her mother. Her father, though, has the photographic eye.
"Both parents contributed to my creativity," she said. "My mother gets all the credit."
Osborn said "it seemed important" last year when she had the opportunity to include both her races on her census form.
"I think it's good to know just for the sake of acknowledging how diverse we are, who is out there," she said.
Staff Writer C. Kalimah Redd can be contacted at 791-6335 or at: kredd@pressherald.com
To top of page
