Of Many Colors : Portraits of Multiracial Families

Based on an award-winning photo exhibit, this book documents the feelings and experiences of Americans who live in multiracial families. It tells the stories of 39 families who have bridged the racial divide through interracial marriage or adoption.

Based on an award-winning photo exhibit, this book documents the feelings and experiences of Americans who live in multiracial families. It tells the stories of 39 families who have bridged the racial divide through interracial marriage or adoption. Parents and children speak candidly about their lives, their relationships and the ways in which they have dealt with issues of race. Although the number of mixed-race families in America is steadily rising, this trend remains controversial. For centuries, America has depended on distinct racial categories for its social, political and economic organization. The current debate over the inclusion of a ""multiracial"" category on consensus forms illustrates the extent to which the deeply embedded construct of race continues to divide American society. Transracial adoption has also generated fierce controversy and debate. As in the case of racial categories, the discussion of transracial adoption reflects ever-changing social standards. As recently as 1987, 35 states had laws prohibiting the adoption of black children by white families. In 1996, however, President Clinton signed a bill making it illegal to prohibit adoptions based on race. The interviews in this book provide the reader with an understanding of how mixed-race families contradict stereotypes, challenge racism, and demonstrate that people of different races can indeed live together in harmony. Family members also have much to say about the most intimate form of integration, familial love, and this love is made visible in the photographs by Gigi Kaeser.