Biculturalism

In 1967, the Supreme Court overturned the remaining state laws against interracial marriage.¹ The consequences of this significant decision can be seen in the over 1 million Americans born in the 1970s and 1980s who are of more than one racial heritage. The birth rate of multiracial babies is over 25 times higher than that of any other racial category. Approximately 70% of African Americans are multiracial, as are most Latinos, Filipinos, American Indians, and Native Hawaiians. In the 2000 census, 6.8 million people reported their heritage as being of two or more races.

Most definitions of biculturalism refer to psychological duality associated with simultaneously learning the rules of behavior, expectations, values, and developing a sense of security and personal identity in more than one culture. A bicultural person may be seen as possessing two cultural identities as a result of socialization within two cultures concurrently. There is also a developing understanding that...