Describe and analyze the problem of “intersectionality” with regard to the rise of multiracial identification in recent census surveys.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Over the past 20–30 years, the number of respondents who identify themselves as belonging to more than one ethnic group has dramatically increased. This leads to a new era of “intersectionality” in which individuals come from mixed-race families. Of these groups, the growth in respondents identifying themselves as being both white and African American has been a major area of concern for civil rights advocates. Many experts see the rise in mixed ethnicities as possibly diluting the effects of decades of civil rights law and policy. This problem of intersectionality will be a great concern in the future in regard to determining the need for and effectiveness of civil rights policy. Important questions raised by the issue of intersectionality include the following: (1) Does one see a mixed ethnic individual as white, black, or neither? (2) How do current laws apply to these individuals? (3) What role will the courts take in the future in protecting the civil rights of African Americans and other currently protected ethnic groups?
[STUDENT ANSWERS MAY VARY FOR THIS QUESTION BUT SHOULD ADDRESS THE TOPICS GIVEN ABOVE IN THE SAMPLE ANSWER.]