What is Multiracial Consciousness? Developing Critically Conscious Multiracial Students in Higher Education

Abstract

This chapter asks the question, what is multiracial consciousness? Fundamentally, this chapter draws on Freire’s (1974/2013) concept of critical consciousness. Critical consciousness grew out of an educational wave of critical thinkers who realized that the historical conditions of minoritized populations were based on oppression. Drawing from a critical qualitative narrative study (Malaney Brown, 2020), multiracial consciousness is conceptualized and defined through the voices of the 15 multiracial collegians at a Historically White Institution (HWI). Multiracial consciousness is defined as a heightened level of self-awareness where the student self-reflects on their multiple racial identities, has the ability to describe how monoracism affects daily life experiences, and influences their decisions and choices to engage or disengage from ethnic, cultural, or racial justice causes. This chapter answers questions such as: What is multiracial consciousness? Where does it come from? and How can higher education support its development? A model of Multiracial Consciousness Development is also presented. This chapter concludes with implications for higher education to support multiracial students’ development in cultivating their awareness of multiracial consciousness in higher education.