Association of MultiEthnic Americans
Encyclopedia
The Association of MultiEthnic Americans (AMEA) is an international collaboration of community organizations. With dedication to advocacy and education on behalf of the mixed-race community, AMEA works to promote a community of acceptance and equality.
(Chicago) formed after anti-miscegenation laws
were struck down. With an increased amount of legally recognized interracial relationships, parents of mixed-race children organized and gave their children spaces to socialize together. After parents, multiracial adults and others began organizing, they began challenging the official classification of mixed-race individuals, particularly in connection with the public school system.
In November 1988, members of the Organizing Committee for a National Association of MultiEthnic Americans met in Berkeley, California and founded AMEA to serve as a national platform to advocate for their rights. I-Pride President Carlos A. Fernandez was elected President and Biracial Family Network President Ramona Douglass was elected Vice President.
Most of AMEA’s events are organized by its local affiliates. These groups, concentrated in the west and midwest, offers services ranging from cultural events to social support groups. AMEA's first major public event was the Loving Decision Conference in 1992 held in Washington DC. AMEA subsequently organized the first National Conference on the Multiracial Child in 2002 and another Loving Decision Conference in 2007.
In 2004, AMEA and Mavin Foundation
partnered to launch The National Mixed Heritage Resource Center, a national clearing house of information related to the mixed-race community.http://www.mixedheritagecenter.org/
, Chairman of the House subcommittee monitoring the census. AMEA was subsequently invited to present testimony to the ‘Census, Statistics and Postal Personnel’ subcommittee. AMEA was represented by its president, Carlos A. Fernandez and executive board member Edwin Darden.
As with classification within the school system, federal classification of mixed-race individuals was criticized in the mid-1900s for not allowing a person to “check more than one box.” AMEA was appointed as the only federally recognized multiracial advocacy group to the “Census 2000 Advisory Committee” to explore possible solutions.
While public opinion was diverse, initially many advocacy groups supported one "multiracial" box for mixed-race individuals. Many media sources such as Mademoiselle in its article "What Race Am I?" urged its readers "to express an opinion on whether or not a 'Multiracial' category should be included in all federal record keeping, including the 2000 census."http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/race/Ombdir15.html
AMEA was at the forefront of the Office of Management and Budgets (OMB) decision to revise its standards for collecting racial and ethnic data by allowing persons of multiple racial heritages to check "one or more races" on the 2000 Census Race Question. After much debate, the Federal Interagency Committee recommended allowing Census respondents to “check one or more boxes.”http://www.ameasite.org/factsheet.pdf
AMEA retains a permanent seat on the census advisory committee.
History
On July 4, 1986, the Organizing Committee for a National Association of MultiEthnic Americans was formed by representatives of local mixed-race groups, which emerged during the late 1970s and early 1980s. These were the first groups to focus specifically on mixed-race identities. Many of these organizations, such as I-Pride (San Francisco Bay Area) and the Biracial Family NetworkBiracial Family Network
The Biracial Family Network is a nonprofit organization based in Chicago. Founded in September 1980, BFN is one of the oldest nonprofit multi-ethnic family support organizations in the United States. It has traditionally focused on supporting those in interracial/intercultural relationships via...
(Chicago) formed after anti-miscegenation laws
Anti-miscegenation laws
Anti-miscegenation laws, also known as miscegenation laws, were laws that enforced racial segregation at the level of marriage and intimate relationships by criminalizing interracial marriage and sometimes also sex between members of different races...
were struck down. With an increased amount of legally recognized interracial relationships, parents of mixed-race children organized and gave their children spaces to socialize together. After parents, multiracial adults and others began organizing, they began challenging the official classification of mixed-race individuals, particularly in connection with the public school system.
In November 1988, members of the Organizing Committee for a National Association of MultiEthnic Americans met in Berkeley, California and founded AMEA to serve as a national platform to advocate for their rights. I-Pride President Carlos A. Fernandez was elected President and Biracial Family Network President Ramona Douglass was elected Vice President.
Organizational Work
There are three main areas of AMEA’s work: maintenance of a resource network with a competency around mixed-race issues; facilitating collaboration between organizations dedicated to multiethnic, multiracial and transracial adoptee issues; and conducting needs assessments to identify the unmet needs of the mixed-community and develop recommendations to service providers.Most of AMEA’s events are organized by its local affiliates. These groups, concentrated in the west and midwest, offers services ranging from cultural events to social support groups. AMEA's first major public event was the Loving Decision Conference in 1992 held in Washington DC. AMEA subsequently organized the first National Conference on the Multiracial Child in 2002 and another Loving Decision Conference in 2007.
In 2004, AMEA and Mavin Foundation
Mavin Foundation
Mavin Foundation is a community organization which seeks to build “healthy communities that celebrate and empower mixed heritage people and families.” Located in Seattle, WA, Mavin has been recognized nationally for its work toward a society inclusive of those in the mixed heritage community...
partnered to launch The National Mixed Heritage Resource Center, a national clearing house of information related to the mixed-race community.http://www.mixedheritagecenter.org/
| AMEA affilitate | Location | |
| Biracial Family Network Biracial Family Network The Biracial Family Network is a nonprofit organization based in Chicago. Founded in September 1980, BFN is one of the oldest nonprofit multi-ethnic family support organizations in the United States. It has traditionally focused on supporting those in interracial/intercultural relationships via... |
Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| Getting Interracial Families Together (GIFT) | Montclair, New Jersey Montclair, New Jersey -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,977 people, 15,020 households, and 9,687 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,183.6 people per square mile . There were 15,531 housing units at an average density of 2,464.0 per square mile... , U.S. |
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| Honor Our New Ethnic Youth (HONEY) | Eugene, Oregon Eugene, Oregon Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S... , U.S. |
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| Interracial Family Circle (IFC) | Washington D.C., U.S. | |
| Interracial Intercultural Pride Ipride iPride is a nonprofit organization interested in the well-being and development of children and adults who are of more than one racial or ethnic heritage or who have been transracially adopted. Founded in 1979, iPride, otherwise known as Interracial Intercultural Pride is the oldest existing... (iPride) |
San Francisco, California San Francisco, California San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland... , U.S. |
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| MOXHCA | Edmonton, AB Canada | |
| Multiracial Americans of Southern California (MASC) | Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, California Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California... , U.S. |
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| Oregon Council on Multiracial Affairs (OCMA) | Portland, Oregon Portland, Oregon Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States... , U.S. |
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| The Topaz Club (TTC) |
2000 United States Census
In 1989, AMEA issued a letter illustrating the concerns of their constituency to Congressman Thomas SawyerThomas C. Sawyer
Thomas Charles Sawyer, usually known as Tom Sawyer, is a Democratic member of the Ohio Senate, who has represented the 28th District since his appointment in February 2007. He served as a U.S. representative from Ohio from 1987 to 2003.- Career :...
, Chairman of the House subcommittee monitoring the census. AMEA was subsequently invited to present testimony to the ‘Census, Statistics and Postal Personnel’ subcommittee. AMEA was represented by its president, Carlos A. Fernandez and executive board member Edwin Darden.
As with classification within the school system, federal classification of mixed-race individuals was criticized in the mid-1900s for not allowing a person to “check more than one box.” AMEA was appointed as the only federally recognized multiracial advocacy group to the “Census 2000 Advisory Committee” to explore possible solutions.
While public opinion was diverse, initially many advocacy groups supported one "multiracial" box for mixed-race individuals. Many media sources such as Mademoiselle in its article "What Race Am I?" urged its readers "to express an opinion on whether or not a 'Multiracial' category should be included in all federal record keeping, including the 2000 census."http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/race/Ombdir15.html
AMEA was at the forefront of the Office of Management and Budgets (OMB) decision to revise its standards for collecting racial and ethnic data by allowing persons of multiple racial heritages to check "one or more races" on the 2000 Census Race Question. After much debate, the Federal Interagency Committee recommended allowing Census respondents to “check one or more boxes.”http://www.ameasite.org/factsheet.pdf
AMEA retains a permanent seat on the census advisory committee.
External links
- Official Website
- The National Mixed Heritage Resource Center
- The Multiethnic Education Program, Affiliate organization in Berkeley
- "The Blending of the United States" by Rochelle L. Stanfield, National JournalNational JournalNational Journal is a nonpartisan American weekly magazine that reports on the current political environment and emerging political and policy trends. National Journal was first published in 1969. Times Mirror owned the magazine from 1986 to 1997, when it was purchased by David G. Bradley...
, September 13, 1997 - "AMEA Responds to Multiracial Census Data" in The Association of American Cultures (TAAC) BULLETIN, Volume 18 Number 1, Winter 2001