Marta I. Cruz-Janzen

About the author: Marta I. Cruz-Janzen is an assistant professor in the department of secondary education at the Metropolitan State College of Denver. She is co-author of Educating Young Children in a Diverse Society.

Biracial children face considerable difficulties because society is obsessed with rigid racial boundaries. These boundaries exacerbate racial tension within and between different racial groups. Though biracial children are part of two cultures, they are often ostracized and rejected by both. If biracial children gain acceptance, it is usually as a result of rejecting half of their background. If these children are to have any hope of claiming their full identity, society must shed its rigid racial designations.

We live with a "box mentality." We sort and box people into racial categories set by rigid boundaries between groups. These boundaries exacerbate the...