Born Biracial
By Susan Graham
BORN BIRACIAL
How One Mother Took On Race in America
This is one story every interracial family should read.
Written by Project RACE founder Susan Graham, the book tells her journey of advocating for her own children and millions of biracial and multiracial children like them. Her sometimes turbulent personal story will make you cheer for the underdog in her battles against the federal, state and local governments and other minority organizations.
Born Biracial: How One Mother Took on Race in America is the true story of how Susan brought an invisible population to the forefront and began the multiracial movement. Susan doesn’t sugar-coat anything—her personal life suffered, the emotional story of her marriage to a CNN news anchor, being a mother to biracial children, divorce, and remarriage—are all interwoven in her life’s story.
Susan Graham is the White mother of two biracial children whose father is Black. Enjoy her triumphs and disappointments including when she and her young son Ryan testified in Washington, DC and in many states to make the dreams of multiracial identity come true.
Available in paperback, hardcover and ebook.
By Susan Graham
BORN BIRACIAL
How One Mother Took On Race in America
This is one story every interracial family should read.
Written by Project RACE founder Susan Graham, the book tells her journey of advocating for her own children and millions of biracial and multiracial children like them. Her sometimes turbulent personal story will make you cheer for the underdog in her battles against the federal, state and local governments and other minority organizations.
Born Biracial: How One Mother Took on Race in America is the true story of how Susan brought an invisible population to the forefront and began the multiracial movement. Susan doesn’t sugar-coat anything—her personal life suffered, the emotional story of her marriage to a CNN news anchor, being a mother to biracial children, divorce, and remarriage—are all interwoven in her life’s story.
Susan Graham is the White mother of two biracial children whose father is Black. Enjoy her triumphs and disappointments including when she and her young son Ryan testified in Washington, DC and in many states to make the dreams of multiracial identity come true.
Available in paperback, hardcover and ebook.
Media
This Los Banos Resident’s Memoir Chronicles Start Of The Multiracial Movement
NPR June 7, 2019
Monica Velez of NPR’s Valley Public Radio News interviews Susan Graham. Click here to see the article and listen to the interview.
Reviews
Rod Carew
Baseball Hall of Fame
Cooperstown, New York
Parents aren’t supposed to bury their child, I recall saying in 1996 but that is just what I had to do when my youngest daughter passed away. I promised my daughter Michelle, a biracial daughter of a Black Panamanian father and a white mother that I would do my best to never allow that to happen again. More than 61,000 calls to the National Marrow Donor Program were generated by publicity from Michelle’s passing. The donor registry increased to 2 million in February 1999 alone—up from 1.5 million the previous year. If Michelle had been stricken with her childhood leukemia in 2019 her life most probably would have been saved. Michelle has and will continue to save lives, as will Project RACE and this book, Born Biracial. I urge everyone to read this book! You too can save lives.
Sharyn Dones-Bergin
Attorney and Advocate
Born Biracial: How One Mother Took on Race in America is a long time coming; this is the lifetime work of Susan Graham. With her strong sense of self, she challenged the system that failed to recognize our biracial children. She has been a leader shaking up America by changing the laws that failed to be inclusive of biracial/multiracial children. This book is a reflection of her powerful influence with State Representatives and Governors which caused states to adopt new laws. In this book you will see the rush in Susan’s heart as she made the path to ensure that all biracial people can self-identify. Excellent read!!
Alice Robbin, Ph.D.
Associate Professor Emerita
Indiana University
Born Biracial: How One Mother Took on Race in America is an important narrative to teach about the history of the multiracial movement.
Cherrye S. Vasquez, Ph.D.
Books That Sow Strength, Character & Diversity, DBA
Educator, Author, Blogger
Within the pages of Born Biracial: How One Mother Took on Race in America, author Susan Graham has written a fascinating, but sometimes turbulent account of her journey and fight for posing one straightforward request; asking that her children and those who look like and share her children’s race have the right to magnify their race while self-identifying as citizens of our society.
Graham, a mother of two biracial children and the Director of Project RACE, reckoned with one minority organization after another demanding the self-identity, and respect of biracial/multiracial children.
For Graham and others alike, it’s really quite simple: The right of biracial/multiracial children to claim who they are is solely their right – not yours. As a race, their voices should not be silenced. No child of any race should be discriminated against, or humiliated for claiming who they are, including children in the biracial/multiracial category.
Parents, Minority Organizations, Multicultural Organizations, and Educational Institutions should all own a copy of Born Biracial: How One Mother Took on Race in America.