Multiracial people comprise the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the country. From childhood, Multiracial people must navigate racialized structures that were created to accommodate people with exactly one ethnic-racial identity (ERI; youths’ understanding of their ethnic/racial backgrounds). Because Multiracial youth do not fit neatly into these socially constructed racial categories, they may become simultaneously aware of their racial identity and racist structures as they grow up in a monoracist society and have a unique motivation to disrupt them. However, little research examines how Multiracial youth come to understand both who they are and systemic oppression concurrently. Thus, we aim to create a scale that measures Critical Multiracial Ethnic-Racial Identity (CMERI).

Our work is strongly grounded in critical Multiracial theory (MultiCrit). MultiCrit challenges the common focus on single-race perspectives and highlights the experiences of Multiracial students to uncover racist systems and promote fairness and equality. (Harris, 2016). Using this approach, we aim to address the lack of research on how Multiracial people explore and understand their ethnic-racial identity. We also want to study how important this identity becomes in different situations, especially in a world that favors people who identify with just one racial or ethnic group. (Rivas-Drake et al., 2014; Umaña-Taylor et al., 2014). We also want to understand how exploring and understanding their mixed ethnic-racial identity (CMERI) helps Multiracial young people develop Critical Consciousness; their ability to think about racial injustices and their drive to do something about them. (Diemer et. al, 2020). With this theoretical grounding we ask the following questions:

• How does ethnic-racial identity and critical consciousness intersect in the lived experiences of Multiracial youth?

• What are the domains and evidence for validity of a measure to assess the intersection(s) of ethnic-racial identity and critical consciousness among Multiracial youth? 

• What are the associations of such a measure with adjustment outcomes among Multiracial youth?