Discrimination in the 21st Century: How Civil Rights Policies Can Best Embrace the Growing Mixed-Race Population. A Civil Rights Agenda for the Next Quarter Century

This report catalogues the growth of the modern mixed-race population in the United States and highlights the many complications this population presents for the future of civil rights law and policy. What is most distinctive of today's mixed-race individuals is their assertion of a mixed-race identity which they claim embodies a different experience compared to those who report to be a single race such as "white" or "black." This emphasis on personal identity presents a new dimension that must be considered in the development of new civil rights policy. The authors argue that policymakers and other practitioners need to be more aware of the complexities involved with defining a mixed-race population because a limited understanding will result in policy that could unintentionally undercut the very values civil rights policy seeks to uphold. Policy recommendations for reconciling how the growth of a mixed-race population may challenge the existing framework of civil rights are provided. [For the executive summary, see ED630504.]