New group works to fill void for mixed-race students

"I assumed, `It's Yale, it must have everything,'" Leah Walker, JE '03, said. But times have changed. Upon arriving in New Haven, Walker soon felt the lack of a cultural group suited to her mixed background—her father is part African-American and part Native American, and her mother is Caucasian. In response, Walker founded Spectrum, an organization that provides an open forum for discussion for multiracial students of all backgrounds.

Spectrum's predecessor, Hyphen, disappeared from the scene when its leaders graduated last spring. "Sustaining any organization is difficult, and no multi-racial organization has yet come to full fruition," Assistant Dean of Yale College Rick Chavolla said.

DAVID GEST/YH Leah Walker, JE '03, and Colette Coleman, TD '02, want a more cohesive community among Yale's multiracial students.

Chavolla is very excited, however, that Spectrum recognizes "a growing number of students who don't fit into the historically conventional [race] categories and who deal with issues that are becoming more visible today."

Indeed, estimates recently published in Harvard's Crimson indicate mixed-race births are increasing at a rate 260 times faster than all births combined. According to the U.S. Census, there may be over 27 million multiracial and biracial Americans by the year 2050.

"Having a mother who is a different race than you are and doesn't look like you—that is difficult for a kid," said Colette Coleman, TD '02, who now co-heads Spectrum with Walker. She discovered she wasn't alone. New members have been showing up weekly, eager to share family and childhood stories, Walker said.

"Being multi-racial is a unique experience," Coleman said. "I didn't necessarily always want to discuss these issues, and I know that for many of the multi-racial students out there, it may not be something they want to talk about either."

Walker had participated in both Black Students at Yale (BSAY) and the Association of Native Americans at Yale (ANAAY) and found them more than supportive. Still, Walker and others share the frustration that, although the groups themselves are great, they personally had a hard time bringing those parts together. "If you are multi-racial, joining one group can feel like you are making a statement...it's difficult to feel as if you are choosing one part of your heritage and rejecting the other," Coleman said. "And sometimes it can be intimidating to go into some of the cultural houses for fear of acceptance, and certain houses can feel more exclusive than others."

Aside from personal identity exploration, Spectrum members have set up aggressive goals to make changes within the Yale community. One of their main objections is that Freshman Outdoor Orientation Trip (FOOT) and Cultural Connections, two very popular freshman orientation programs, are offered at the same time. "It seems that from the beginning, we have to make a choice about what group to belong to, and if you are multi-racial, it makes the choice that much harder," Coleman said.

Walker added that "choosing between the two programs can affect friendships from the very start of freshman year. College is such a new environment, and those first friendships made are important."

But according to Dean Chavolla, "Students are always having to make choices, and at Yale, there are simply so many opportunities." The fact that race is involved just makes this choice more salient, he said. "Five days at a pre-orientation program cannot create a student's social destiny. Yale students are more versatile than that."

Currently, Yale does not recognize multiracial students as a separate cultural group, but Chavolla said that he welcomes all suggestions for changes within the program. "Workshops and activities concerning multiracial issues are a good idea," he said.

Another change Spectrum is currently seeking is the addition of a "Multiracial" check box on the Yale application. The Brown Organization of Multiracial and Biracial Students (BOMBS) hails over 200 members, and serves as a model for Yale's Spectrum. Like the new census form, Brown's application offers students an option to identify themselves as multiracial. Yale's does not.

"Not that our identity is based on a what box to check, but some of us would like that option," Walker said. Spectrum does not want to cause statistical problems, she immediately added. Officials at the Office of Undergraduate Admissions would not comment on the issue when the Herald attempted to get in touch them earlier this week.

Currently, students can choose from among a variety of racial categories on Yale's application form, and they can even write in an racial identity in the "Other" category. As a result, one freshman had three different ethnic counselors last year, Dean Chavolla said. Ethnic counselor Amanda deZutter, PC '01, said that as far as the counselor system goes, support provided by the University for multiracial students is not lacking.

Spectrum looks forward to a growing relationship with the other diversity groups and it anticipates participating in the annual spring Harvard-Wellesley Conference on the Mixed Race Experience. For now, Walker and Coleman enjoy being part of a group where the common link is racial diversity. "Right now, we're just trying to establish ourselves and get new members," Walker said.

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