MIXED!: Stories From Mixed Race Californians

“What are you?”

It’s a question we get our entire lives as mixed race people.

Identity is always complicated — and for multiracial folks who straddle many identities, it can be isolating. It can also be invigorating and rich to belong to multiple communities and celebrate that complexity. KQED’s Sasha Khokha and Marisa Lagos sat down with a wide range of mixed Californians to talk about their experience, their families and how they identify.

Stylized graphic says "Mixed! Stories of Mixed Race Californians." In the lower right corner a white woman with a Black man smile while holding an infant. In the background, the same couple pose in a garden with their three mixed race daughters.

Encore Broadcast: W. Kamau Bell’s Family Explores The Mixed-Race Experience

A collage of family photos showing mixed race families has a rainbow tint over it. At the top reads: "Mixed! Stories of Mixed Race Californians."

KQED Asked About Your Experiences Growing Up Mixed Race. Here's What You Told Us

Stylized graphic says "Mixed! Stories of Mixed Race Californians." In the lower right corner a white woman with a Black man smile while holding an infant. In the background, the same couple pose in a garden with their three mixed race daughters.

‘1,000% Me’: How W. Kamau Bell’s Family Explored the Mixed-Race Experience in New Film

A portrait of a mixed-race young man dominates the right side of the image. Faded in the background is a photo of his parents holding him as a baby. The image is labeled: "Mixed! Stories of Mixed Race Californians."

'I Can Be 100% of Both': A Mixed-Race Teen's Advice on Navigating Multiracial Identity

A photo illustration with a family of three, a portrait shot of a woman and big, bold letters that read, "Mixed! Stories of Mixed Race Californians."

One Psychologist’s Tips for Raising Strong Multiracial Kids

A portrait of a mixed-race woman dominates the left side of the image. Faded in the background is an old-fashioned wedding photo of her parents. The image is labeled: "Mixed! Stories of Mixed Race Californians."

Writer and Activist Cherríe Moraga on Her ‘Mixed Blood’ Chicana Heritage, Skin Privilege and Embracing Discomfort

A graphic that displays the word "Mixed!" in large letters with "Stories of Mixed Race Californians" underneath. Underneath the text is a photo of a man and woman in the background with a colorful profile of a multiracial woman on the right side.

Bay Area Teacher on Growing Up 'Multiracial Japanese American' — and Why Ethnic Studies Matters

A graphic that displays the word "Mixed!" in large letters with "Stories of Mixed Race Californians" underneath. Underneath the text is a photo of a multiracial man with a vintage image of a woman and small child in the background.

'Can't You Be in the Black Struggle and Be Multiracial, Too?': Late UCSB Professor Challenges the One-Drop Rule

A photo collage of Tai Babilonia, a professional figure skater, in the foreground smiling. A photo of her parents on their wedding day is juxtaposed in the background. The word "Mixed" is in black letters in the center.

'Jump Higher, Spin Faster': Olympic Figure Skater Tai Babilonia on Her Rise to Fame

Exploring the Stories of Mixed-Race Californians

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