CAIS

For many of the adults, this is one of the most powerful sessions of the entire conference. This year was no different, at least from my experience. As hard as it was to get there by 8:00 a.m., it was well worth the effort.

(It felt inappropriate to take pictures of the participants. Nice sign, though, yes?)

Since many of the sessions are highly structured with activities, reflections, and group or individual work, we decided to intentionally leave this one open. After spending a few minutes "taking in the space," looking around the room at the faces present, whoever raised his hand had the floor (women were in a different room).

Some of the questions had to do with choosing between and honoring multiple cultures, races, and ethnicities within our families and ourselves. Other people wanted to know if people felt things had changed over the years, and if so, were they getting better for people of multiethnic heritage. The emotions in the room ranged from pride and confidence to confusion and pain. With few exceptions, this pretty much sums up the experience of most multiracial people I know, including me. Beyond this, I am sworn to confidentiality and will honor my commitment.

However, I will say that a number of adults in the room explicitly mentioned how impressed we were with the young men before us. In so many ways, they were so much more aware, articulate, and cognizant of their situation than many of us at their age. We were truly moved by their intelligent comments and questions. 

It was a pleasure to spend that morning with the student, and I hope they continue to seek support from people who "get it" and "get them." They'll remember the conversation. It's my genuine hope that they are able to embrace and feel proud of all their multiple cultures.