ABSTRACT
In chapter 5 we noted that individuals with the same racial makeup can have diff erent racial identities. Our genetic makeup helps to shape, but is not the sole determinant of, our racial identity. Individuals are like Black-White identical twins, one of whom identifi es as Black and the other identifi es as biracial. Obviously this type of racial ambiguity cannot help but infl uence the lives of biracial and multiracial individuals. Such experiences may serve as a common bond between individuals who do not automatically fall into a certain racial category. In fact, it is plausible to think that the racial experiences of people who perceive themselves as biracial and multiracial diff erentiate them from people who do not defi ne themselves as having multiple racial identities. Just as there is an African-American or Asian-American community that ties together members of those racial groups by their common racial experiences, so too, individuals who are biracial and multiracial may have experiences that tie them to a common community.
