Only
until recently has the notion of the multi-racial
individual become so pressing within our societal consciousness that it
warrants such unprecedented attention. The 2000 census was hallmark of
this: for the first time, Americans were allowed to check more than one
box of ethnic/cultural identity, and this stood as a huge victory for
a person such as myself.
I am a Japxican: Fourth generation Japanese from my father’s side, and third generation Mexican courtesy of my mother. There are many elements that compose the multi-faceted world that is my identity, and I suppose this essay will serve as an end in describing these cumulative events. In the very least, I hope that it makes you think twice about the classification and hierarchies that we employ in this country, as my very existence contradicts any notion of racial categorization.