Mixed Race Student Politics: A Rising “Third Wave” Movement at UCLA

Book excerpt: The multiracial population of the United States is growing at an exponential rate, and it is estimated that as much as twenty percent of the entire US population will be mixed race by 2050. Despite this dramatic cultural and demographic shift, institutional structures of higher education continue to be organized along inflexible, monoethnic racial lines. "Mixed Race Student Politics" features sixteen graduate and undergraduate student essays that offer a window into the diverse experiences of being a mixed race university student in America, and at UCLA-the leading edge of mixed race student organizing. Together, the essays evince a "third wave" of a new mixed race movement, as well as a rising tide of mixed race politics. "Weaving together a diverse set of student narratives that challenge monoracial thinking, these essays provide a much needed contribution to the field of Critical Mixed Race Studies." Rudy P. Guevarra, Jr., author, "Becoming Mexipino: Multiethnic Identities and Communities in San Diego."