Association of MultiEthnic Americans

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The Association of MultiEthnic Americans (AMEA) is an international alliance of local multiethnic/interracial groups, incorporated as a nonprofit, public benefit organization. Its primary goal is to promote a positive awareness of interracial and multiethnic identities. It is dedicated to advocacy, education and collaboration on behalf of the multiethnic, multiracial and transracial adoption community.

1 History
2 Organizational Work
3 2000 United States Census
4 External links

[edit] History

On July 4, 1986, Organizing Committee for a National Association of MultiEthnic Americans was formed by representatives of local interracial groups, many of which emerged around the country during the late 1970s and early 1980s. In many cases, these groups formed as parents, multiracial adults and others began to challenge the official classification of multiracial, multiethnic people, particularly in connection with the public schools. Two years later members of the Organizing Committee convene in Berkeley, California. On November 12, 1988 they found The Association of MultiEthnic Americans.

In September 1989, AMEA sent a letter about this issue to Congressman Thomas Sawyer (D), Chairman of the House subcommittee monitoring the census. In 1993, Congressman Sawyer invited AMEA to present testimony for first “Census, Statistics and Postal Personnel” subcommittee he chairs. AMEA President Carlos Fernandez presented the testimony on June 30, 1993. He was assisted by Edwin Darden, AMEA Eastern Regional Vice-President. In December 1995, AMEA was asked, by the late Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown, to send a representative as appointee to the “Census 2000 Advisory Committee.” Ramona Douglass was chosen to represent AMEA. AMEA remains on that Census Advisory Committee today. [1]

In 2002, AMEA convened the first National Conference on the Multiracial Child.

In 2004, AMEA and Mavin Foundation partnered to launch The National Mixed Heritage Resource Center, a national clearing house of information related to mixed race and transrascial adoption issues.[2]

[edit] Organizational Work

There are three main areas of AMEA’s work. It provides access to culturally competent resources by connecting service providers to clients. It facilitates collaboration between organizations dedicated to multiethnic, multiracial and transracial adoptee issues. It also conducts needs assessments to identify and meet unmet needs and recognize new trends.

Most of AMEA’s activities occur through local groups/affiliates. They provide support, social and cultural events, forums, and valuable information to the populations they work with.

	AMEA affilitate	Location
	Biracial Family Network	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
	Getting Interracial Families Together (GIFT)	Montclair, New Jersey, U.S.
	Honor Our New Ethnic Youth (HONEY)	Eugene, Oregon, U.S.
	Interracial Family Circle (IFC)	Washington D.C., U.S.
	Interracial Intercultural Pride (iPride)	San Francisco, California, U.S.
	MOXHCA	Edmonton, AB Canada
	Multiracial Americans of Southern California (MASC)	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
	Oregon Council on Multiracial Affairs (OCMA)	Portland, Oregon, U.S.
	The Topaz Club (TTC)

[edit] 2000 United States Census

In the mid-1900s, AMEA became the only federally recognized multiracial advocacy group appointed to the Decennial Census Advisory Committee by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. AMEA was instrumental in the Office of Management and Budgets (OMB) decision to revise its standards for collecting racial and ethnic data (Directive 15) by allowing persons of multiple racial heritages to check "one or more races" on the 2000 Census Race Question.

The Federal Interagency Committee made a recommendation allowing Census respondents to “check one or more boxes.” In addition, the revisions of the OMB’s Statistical Policy Directive 15 were made official and posted in the Federal Register of October 30, 1997 - Volume 62, Number 210. [3]

The recommendation was also supported by many of the advocacy groups that had earlier supported a "multiracial" (box) category. Several individuals wrote in support of "multiple race" reporting, basing their comments on a September 1997 Mademoiselle article, "What Race Am I?" which urged its readers "to express an opinion on whether or not a 'Multiracial' category should be included in all federal record keeping, including the 2000 census." [4]