by Emma Nobbe, ’24

A New View Film Series started off the semester with a screening of The Loving Generation. This documentary series offered insights into the experiences of biracial families and individuals since the Loving v. Virginia Supreme Court verdict in 1967 which legalized interracial marriage. The series told the stories of several individuals who shared their experiences over the past few decades of finding their own identity in a society that has continuously assigned conflicting stereotypical labels and expectations for who they were meant to be.

After the film, three panelists were invited to speak about their own stories and sense of identity as biracial and multiracial individuals. They offered insights into what it was like growing up with parents of different races and expressed the difficulty of living with a parent who could not understand what it was like to live as a mixed-race person. They also expressed the fears they often face in being misidentified and underrepresented in their health care, as one panelist stated that assumptions over her racial status could lead to doctors overlooking some of the valid medical risks that are often concerning for black individuals.

The conversation turned to their experiences and feelings of representation in media, with a particular focus on what it was like to relate with multiracial families and celebrities on television. Blackish, K.C. Undercover, and a few other television shows were mentioned involving onscreen depictions of biracial characters and families, but one common theme for under-representation was the desire to see more depictions of mixed families with black mothers.

Through their discussion of identity, representation, and life experiences, the panelists concluded with the message that they hoped to bring representation to their community and other underrepresented groups through their future careers.