Pochos/as push back: multiracial Latinos/as, white passing, and the politics of belonging

This work examines the ways that multiracial Latino/as with one white parent perform "race work" (King-O'Riain, 2006) in order to prove their Latino/a authenticity to people believed to have closer ties to the mother country, such as more recent immigrants or those who are working class. I examine the role of emotion in determining the lengths to which multiracials will go in order to secure feelings of acceptance by Latino groups. I assess the extent to which a light-skinned phenotype influences the performance of "race work," and the ways ethnic markers, such as Spanish language fluency can act as standins when racial claims are low (King-O'Riain, 2006). The study finds that Spanish fluency is primary, but is only one of a number of factors including phenotype and other cultural markers that influence multiracial Latino/as identity choices. Surprisingly, most multiracial participants, regardless of Spanish language ability, chose to identify more strongly with their Latino/a parent's culture, downplaying or outright rejecting their white ancestry because of negative associations with whiteness. Every participant was critically engaged in art, activism or education to work through the unique challenges of being multiracial. It is my hope that this project will provide a fuller understanding of this underrepresented demographic within the Latino/a population.