Dear Mixed People: Critically Examining Monoracism in College-Related TV Series

Multiracial youth are one of the fastest-growing demographics in the United States. What messages might these multiracial young people be receiving about multiraciality in college-related television series? Applying Critical Race Media Literacy and Critical Multiracial Theory (MultiCrit), this study examines representations of multiracial students in Charmed, Dear White People, Ginny & Georgia, Grown-ish, and Black-ish. We find that multiracial college student characters are routinely confronted with “box-checking” on demographic forms and wrestle with the limitations of racial categories to capture complexity and the potential resources/benefits associated with selecting specific boxes. Further, multiracial college student characters question their belonging within monoracial student organizations and interracial relationships. Implications for practice and pedagogy are outlined to better leverage television depictions of multiracial college students toward disrupting rather than reinforcing monoracism in higher education contexts.