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Abstract: The main purpose of this introductory article is to evoke professional awareness, spark interest, stimulate thought, and disseminate information concerning multiracial, multiethnic (multiple heritage) individuals within the United States. General background information, terms, definitions, ethno-historical influences, practice implications, and current issues will be highlighted. Areas for further exploration will be proposed. Transcultural imperatives urge all nurses and other health care professionals to become active participants in the new cultural evolution of a different, broader worldview that uncovers the "invisible" culture of multiple heritage individuals. The new vision challenges nurse and other health care professionals to embark upon a new journey in the quest for cultural congruent care for all individuals.
Key Words: Multiethnic, Multi-Racial Individual, Transcultural
With the projected increase of multiracial and multiethnic individuals in the United States (Johnson, 1997; Lee, & Fernandez, 1998; Perlmann, 1997; Spickard & Fong, 1995) and throughout the world, it is increasingly imperative that nurses and other health care professionals are adequately prepared to provide culturally congruent care for this growing population (Boushel, 1996). Prior to the 2000 census, people in the United States were given limited choice in responding to questions regarding one's ethnic background (Fuchs, 1997;Light & Lee,1997). In 1990, for example, people had the choice of selecting one category: Black (African-American), Hispanic, White, Native American, Asian, Pacific Islanders and other. If an individual's ancestry includes African American, German, and Cherokee, what do they choose? Although we have entered a new millenium with great technological advances, the United States Census Bureau is still "unequipped" to allow multiracial persons to claim their entire heritage (Cose, 1997; Fong, Spickard, & Ewalt,1995; Fuchs, 1997; Light & Lee, 1997). The forced choice of one category, two categories, or the "other" category makes the unique culture of the multiracial person "invisible". The impact of this invisibility is twofold: one, it hides the existence of mestizo (mixing) in the United States (Nash, 1995); and two, it denies that being multiracial constitutes a "cultural experience" (Root, 1997).
Culturally congruent nursing and health care can only occur when culture care values, expressions, or patterns are known and used appropriately (Leininger, 1993). Unfortunately, the topic of multiracial and multiethnic people has not received attention in the nursing literature (Boushel, 1996); in other disciplines,...