Harvard Needs a Multiracial Student Organization

“Girl shut the hell up.” “Mixed race people are just white people cosplaying as POCs.” These are the comments I found under a Sidechat post soliciting interest in starting a mixed-race affinity graduate celebration.

Admittedly, Sidechat isn’t a perfect gauge of sentiment among the student body. Still, these ignorant comments indicate a larger problem: Harvard lacks support for multiracial students and sufficient spaces for nuanced dialogue around race.

Of the 80 cultural and racial initiatives counted among Harvard’s student organizations, there is no multiracial club. The only space explicitly for multiracial students is the Harvard Undergraduate Half Asian People’s Association, which is specifically designated for students of Asian descent.

Harvard needs a multiracial student organization.

Why do we need a space specifically designated for multiracial students? Why not just attend existing affinity spaces?

As a multiracial student, it is easy to be intimidated by monoracial affinity organizations. Even though these spaces are officially open to all, it can feel as though other students share common experiences that you cannot relate to.

For instance, I’m half-white and half-Middle Eastern, but because I don’t speak Arabic or have very strong ties to my Egyptian culture, I’m hesitant to attend events organized by the Harvard Society of Arab Students. Like many multiracial people, I struggle with the fear of not being able to fully relate or fit in.

Being multiracial means living on the margins of traditional racial categories. This experience can cause feelings of isolation — for never fully belonging to a particular group — and guilt — for being disconnected from one’s culture. Research shows that multiracial people have worse mental health outcomes compared to their monoracial counterparts.

Because of these shared experiences, many multiracial people — myself included — can relate more to other multiracial people than to those who share only one of their racial identities. Thus, a dedicated student organization would provide an essential network for support and connection.

My high school had a multiracial club, and it was an affirming space that allowed me to connect with other students and build community. The club served as a place for students not only to relate to each other, but also to discuss the particular nuances of race that are often overlooked in mainstream dialogue.

For instance, we talked about the notion of whiteness being the default, as many of us have experienced identifying more with the non-white part of our racial make-ups. The club also provided an opportunity to connect and talk about race across racial lines, as its membership was incredibly diverse.

When I first arrived at Harvard, I was surprised to learn that the College does not have a multiracial affinity organization. In 2018, students formed the Harvard Undergraduate Union of Mixed Students, but it hasn’t been active for several years, leaving multiracial students without a necessary support network. Harvard would greatly benefit from such a space.

Of course, there are many other steps we can take to recognize and support multiracial students on campus — for example, offering more speaker events and classes about the multiracial experience.

But first we ought to bring back a multiracial student organization. Harvard boasts clubs for practically every interest, affinity, and activity you can think of. Multiracial students deserve one too.

Scarlett E. Eldaief ’28, a Crimson Editorial editor, lives in Weld Hall.