CA SB 1615: The Ethnic Heritage Respect and Recognition Act

We, the undersigned, urge your support for Senate Bill 1615, the Ethnic Heritage Respect and Recognition Act. This bill would make California the first state to adopt federal standards that allow ethnically mixed individuals to identify with one or more racial or ethnic backgrounds on forms that ask for this information. SB 1615 would also establish standards for presenting data on Californias diverse population in a complete manner, as well as adopting federal standards that ensure multiracial people are counted during civil rights and other federal actions related to race.

The large and rapidly growing mixed heritage demographic has long been ignored despite the significant and unique challenges that mixed heritage people face. This includes challenges in the area of healthcare where ethnically mixed peoples diverse heritage puts them at risk for unique difficulties in areas such as bone marrow transplant and other medical needs related to an individuals racial and ethnic background. In addition ethnically mixed people face challenges establishing a healthy racial and ethnic identity, challenges that are not met by educational, healthcare and other social institutions. The lack of support for multiracial people can lead to higher rates of depression, substance abuse, and other health problems.