Racial Framing and the Multiracial Movement

In the 1990s, multiracial advocacy organizations emerged as a national movement. The primary purpose of this movement was to obtain recognition of multiracial identity by the U.S. government. Though possessing a common goal, the organizations within the movement advocated for multiracialism through different racial frames. Using extended case methodology, this study seeks to identify the racial frames utilized by the multiracial movement. Through in-depth interviews with founders and presidents, current and past, of multiracial advocacy organizations, I extend the current literature on racial framing.

After critical analysis of my interviews, I identify the presence of the traditional white racist frame as well as a racial counter-frame. Reviewing the elements of both frameworks, I discuss how the use of these frames affects the struggle for racial justice in the United States. Finally, using Bell's principle of interest convergence, I conclude with an examination of how the utilization of the traditional white racist frame by the multiracial movement and the interest of whites in maintaining social domination resulted in the "mark all that apply" decision by the Office and Management and Budget.