ABSTRACT
On November 4, 2008, Americans made history by electing the son of a Black
man and a White woman to the offi ce of President. However, some voters do not
realize that there was another multiracial candidate who did not make it on to the
2008 general election ballot: New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson was born to
an Anglo-American father and a Mexican-American mother. Despite the common
perception of multiracial people as being Black and White, Richardson’s case is
actually far more common: there are more than twenty times as many Americans
who identifi ed as White and Hispanic on the 2000 Census as there are Americans
who identifi ed as Black and White (Census Bureau 2005-07). This chapter
will explore factors that shape the racial/ethnic identities of these part-Hispanic
individuals.
