Last week, I posted the Bill of Rights for People of Mixed Heritage created by Maria P. P. Root, Ph.D. Today, I want to share another article written by doctor Root, the Multiracial Oath of Social Responsibility that provides us with a set of guidelines to help us understand race relations in the United States. As citizens, we all have rights and responsibilities and these statements acknowledge those responsibilities. This oath was also created 25 years ago but continues to be relevant within the multicultural society we live in.
Multiracial Oath of Social Responsibility
I want to make a difference in this world. Therefore:
I strive to improve race relations.
I know that race and ethnicity are not solely defined by one’s genetic heritage;
I refuse to confine my choices in love or loyalty to a single race;
I make efforts to increase my knowledge of U.S. racial history;
I know that race and ethnicity can be used as political, economic, and social tools of
oppression.
I recognize the people who have made it possible for me to affirm my
multiracial identity.
They are my relatives, friends, and mentors;
They are people who have crossed color lines to fight discrimination;
They are people who identify as multiracial before this choice was recognized;
They are people who have exposed and explained the suppression of multiraciality.
I must fight all forms of oppression as the oppression of one is the
oppression of all.
I recognize that oppression thrives on fear and ignorance;
I seek to recognize my prejudices and change them;
I know that it is neither helpful nor productive to argue over who is more oppressed;
I recognize that my life interconnects with all other lives.
I will make a difference!
About the Author
Dr. Maria P. P. Root, Ph.D. was born on September 13, 1955. She is a clinical psychologist, educator, and public speaker based in Seattle, Washington. Her areas of work include multiracial families, multiracial identity, cultural competence, trauma, workplace harassment, and disordered eating. She is an international authority on mixed heritage identity, credited with publishing the first contemporary work on mixed-race people. She has presented lectures and training in various countries, both in and outside of academia. Dr. Root is a former President of the Washington State Psychological Association. She has served as Chair of the APA Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest and as a member-at-large on the Board of APA Division 45 (Society for the Psychological Study of Ethnic Minority Issues). Currently, she has her own private practice. She has served on the advisory council of The Association of Multiethnic Americans and the board of advisors of The Mavin Foundation. She co-founded the Journal for Critical Mixed Race Studies in 2011. [Source: Wikipedia]