Digital formations of racial understandings: how university websites are contributing to the ‘Two or More Races’ conversation

Since the time race has been an applied concept in the United States there have been those who identify with two or more racial categories. However, the 2000 Census was the first time individuals could ‘officially’ identify belonging to more than one racial category. Governmentally regulated racial naming of individuals has long been a contested issue. This tradition continues as higher education institutions have been federally mandated since 2010 to report data on individuals who self-select two or more races. In choosing how to represent these data, institutions contribute to racial projects that develop and mold understandings of the nature and meaning of ‘multiracial.’ In this article, we analyze 227 university websites to illustrate the range of ways in which this racial project is currently ongoing. Though we can only speculate about how these projects may impact future racial understandings, we capitalize on this timely moment in nationwide conceptualization.