When asked to define their race by checking a single box, many Penn students would not have trouble limiting their identities to one category.
But for an increasing number of students, assigning themselves to a single race is a more complicated task. And many say that race is a sensitive issues as families become more diverse.
In a panel discussion led last night by students, faculty and staff, these issues were tackled as an informal dialogue by a small group of mostly graduate students. Although the turnout was sparse, the discussion that took place at, and was sponsored by, the Graduate Student Center was especially personal for some.
Panel member and college sophomore Joanna Visser described the difficulty in identifying herself as a member of a particular race because of her heritage -- her mother is white and Jewish, and her father is from an island off the coast of the Caribbean.
She noted that "society's fascination with classification" prompts those who are not one race to become increasingly confused about their own identity. Visser is often asked which race she would choose, leading her to wonder about the acceptance of living as a part of two races.
In agreement, panel member and Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center Director Robert Schoenberg voiced his concern over having to choose a single category to define himself.
"It's very difficult to say I'm a man or I'm gay or I'm caucasian," he said. Schoenberg added that by being forced to choose only one category, "identities are imposed" upon people.
Sean Vereen, a third-year graduate student and panel member, also talked about the sense of restriction that has developed in defining race. Whether or not you feel like a part of a certain race, "people [are] expecting you to be something," Vereen said.
In Vereen's personal experience, he said he is often expected to be "the fast-talking black man" that has become a stereotype, leading him to question "what it means to be black."
Members of the audience also shared hardships and benefits of being part of a multi-racial family. While being of mixed race is often a positive experience, first- year law student Nicole Li shared her struggle with society's arbitrary classifications of race.
She is "not Asian enough for [Asian groups] because I haven't had the same experiences as them, [but] then again I'm not white enough either," she said.
Most in attendance agreed that the search for identity is one of the greatest difficulties for multi-racial students. However, everyone, including the white majority, must be involved in creating a safe feeling for students of every color, according to Schoenberg.
Members of minorities and gay students are out taking risks every day, "but is the majority taking real risks," to create a broader perspective less concerned with classifications, he questioned.
The discussion was organized by Director of the Graduate Student Center Anita Mastroieni as part of the University's month-long Martin Luther King Jr. celebration.
