Mixed Messages: Multiracial Identities in the Color-Blind Era Book

Full disclosure: I did skim some sections.

I don't know if what I disliked most was the fact that this book was written nearly two decades ago so felt completely outdated or the complete lack of a racial equity lens (ironic, since it's focused in racial diversity), or the fact that it tries to give the history of every racial group in America in a few hundred pages. Maybe all of the above.

There is a lukewarm chapter about why we need diversity that includes the AFP chapter defining diversity without once using the word race. There's a series of chapters outlining the history of each race/ethnicity - it covers African Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos, Native Americans. It's followed by an overview of each culture's unique history of giving.

I appreciated that it recognized that philanthropy is embedded in each culture, even though it doesn't always look the same as Western, Christian philanthropy. However, the overviews were cursory, rooted in stereotypes, and continued to reinforce that western is better.

The next to last chapter about the future of Philanthropy was the most interesting and relevant.

The last chapter had excerpts from series of interviews. It wasn't a representative sample, so it felt weird to include and not the best choice.

The book briefly mentioned the need for more fundraisers from communities of color, but didn't delve into these issues.

Overall, I think there could be much better books about the need for diversity in philanthropy,and the issues facing fundraisers of color. But what can you expect from a book supported by AFP?