Towards a Theory of Black Biracial Positionality

Multiracial scholarship has long treated Black-White biracial individuals as a homogeneous group, often overlooking how proximity to whiteness influences their lived experiences. This oversight is particularly evident in the case of Black biracial individuals, defined here as those with one Black and one White parent who are socially identified as Black. These individuals experience a dual burden: they are subjected to the same anti-Black racism as monoracial Black individuals and simultaneously encounter monoracism, a mixed-race-specific form of oppression that frequently manifests as identity invalidation (e.g., societal dismissal of multiracial heritage, social pressure to identify with a single racial group). Despite its significance, this form of dual marginalization remains under-theorized within existing literature. The present article addresses this gap. Drawing on critical race theory, critical multiracial theory, and intersectionality theory, I propose a theoretical framework for understanding Black biracial positionality and experiences by considering the intersection of Blackness and biraciality. This framework provides scholars with the analytical tools to examine an overlooked aspect of the multiracial experience and challenges academic discourse to move beyond monolithic conceptions of Black-White biracial identity.