Black, White, and Gray: Biracial Individuals in America

A biracial individual is defined as someone who has parents of two different racial groups. One of the primary reasons that I chose this particular group of people is due to the fact that the world is becoming less homogeneous and racial lines are often difficult to distinguish. There has been a 550% increase in interracial marriages between 1960 and 1990 (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 1 0 /5 /9 7 ). The National Center for Health Statistics(NCHS) tabulates births by race and reports that birthrates of mixed race children have been climbing. The NCHS states that truly accurate numbers cannot be obtained because the father's race is unspecified in a number of births each year. Beyond the year of birth, no demographic data are kept on the total number of biracial children.