On being racially enough: a duoethnography across minoritized racial identities

Abstract

For much of our lives, we have struggled with not feeling enough in our racial identities, believing one could identify as an Asian or Black person in the “right” way. This quest toward racial authenticity has resulted in feelings of shame and failure, as we strived to reach a marker that was unachievable. In this duoethnography, we explore the meaning we have made of racial authenticity, as we also worked through power differentials coming to newfound understanding of ourselves as racialized beings. Specifically, we wrestle with four larger ideas: family, whiteness, the fleeting nature of feeling racially enough, and agency. We close with implications for practice for those wishing to push back against racial authenticity and build solidarity across minoritized racial identities.

Keywords:

• Duoethnography, higher education, race, racial authenticity, racial essentialism, Asian, Black

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Aeriel A. Ashlee

Aeriel A. Ashlee is an assistant professor in the College Counseling and Student Development program at St. Cloud State University. Her research centers on the radicalized experiences of transracial Asian American adoptees in higher education, auto ethnography as transformative methodology, and People of Color empowerment and critical consciousness in the academy.

Stephen John Quaye

Stephen John Quaye is an associate professor in the Higher Education and Student Affairs Program at The Ohio State University and associate editor of the Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. His research concentrates on difficult dialogues about privilege, power, and oppression; student and scholar activism; and strategies for healing from racial battle fatigue.