MAVIN Information

MAVIN builds healthier communities by providing educational resources about Mixed Heritage experiences. Why is this important? Of course, mixed heritage people and families are nothing new in the U.S. Laws enacted as early as 1641 prohibited sex or marriage across racial lines in the American colonies. It wasn’t until some three centuries later, in 1967, that the U.S. Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia finally struck down all laws banning marriage across racial lines. Census 2000 marked the first time that Americans could check multiple race boxes to describe their own heritage. The seven million people who did so reflected a dramatic national demographic shift. Today, in cities like Seattle, Sacramento and San Antonio, 1 in 6 babies born is multiracial. And yet, despite this national mixed race baby boom, few people are aware of the unique needs of this rapidly growing community Imagine being forced to repeatedly deny part of your heritage on forms requiring that you “check only one race.” Imagine realizing that your mixed heritage means that you may not be able to find a life-saving bone marrow donor to cure diseases like leukemia. The lack of awareness about multiracial issues creates far more than a mere inconvenience for the millions of Americans who identify with multiple races. MAVIN is committed to creating a society that recognizes the complexity of race, racism and identity. We support the right to self-identify, and think it’s important for mixed heritage people to strengthen their involvement in existing ethnic and affinity communities. Although we reject exclusive and outdated notions of race, we see our work as part of a larger movement to end discimination and inequality on individual and systemic levels. Ultimately, we see our work with mixed heritage issues as an important way to create supportive and inclusive communities for all people.