Across the nation and here at the University of Michigan, there is a growing population of students who self-identify as mixed race. Between the 2010 and 2020 United States censuses, mixed race populations increased 276 percent (Jones et al., 2021). Additionally, ten percent of all children younger than ten identify as mixed race (Pew, 2015). These individuals constitute our future student pipeline at a time when the much-discussed enrollment cliff is looming. Despite these trends, most campuses do not adequately include the experiences and issues related to mixed race people in our curricula, collections, and co-curricular services (Barrett, 2022; Zook, 2019). These statistics serve as a wakeup call for postsecondary institutions and together, curriculum planners, student life workers, academic librarians, and others need to be well positioned to contribute to the success of mixed race students. The authors from the Library-based Mixed Race Project will present their findings from a survey, along with qualitative data gathered during a 2026 community art project. Together, these data illustrate how important a sense of belonging is to mixed race student well-being. We will also share our collaborative efforts with units across campus to raise the visibility of and sense of community for mixed race issues on campus.
