This short feature from NYTimes.com was produced in 2008. It begins with a clip of President Obama, who was born of mixed racial heritage, before describing recent statistic related to the prevalence of mixed race identity in the United States. From there, it follows the discussions of “Fusion”, a group of undergraduate students from Rutgers University who formed a student organization to talk about their experiences as mixed people. They describe not only the challenges faced as a result of their multiracial backgrounds, but also the value that this has brought to their lives.

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Fusion was founded to create a support system among mixed people who were often excited to discuss their personal experiences. Why do you think they felt that a support system focused specifically on mixed race students would be necessary or valuable? What does this say about the nature of existing organizations that focus on race and ethnicity?

The founder of Fusion suggested that, “people are starting to acknowledge the complexity of race.” What does he mean by this statement? Do you agree? Why or why not?