Mixed Race Identities Toolkit

Toolkit collated by Louise Jaunbocus-Cooper and Hannah Wilson

Being mixed race is a complex, multi-faceted experience. In simple terms, it means those who have parents or ancestors of different racial or ethnic backgrounds.

In today’s increasingly interconnected world, more and more people are growing up with mixed racial and cultural heritage. Yet, despite this growing diversity, the experiences of mixed-race people are often overlooked or misunderstood. This toolkit has been created to encourage awareness, dialogue, and understanding about what it means to be of mixed heritage- to live between, across, and within multiple identities.

Being mixed race is so much more than a matter of ancestry; it is a lived experience shaped by culture, community, and the ways society perceives race. For some, it can be a source of pride and connection, a celebration of blended histories and perspectives. For others, it may bring challenges: questions of belonging, identity, and acceptance. Many people who are mixed-heritage move through the world navigating assumptions, stereotypes, or pressures to “choose sides,” while simultaneously carrying the richness of more than one story.

This toolkit aims to:

Raise awareness of the diverse realities of mixed-race experiences.
Support reflection on identity, belonging, and representation.
Encourage conversation that honours complexity rather than reducing it.
Promote inclusion in schools, workplaces, and communities by challenging narrow ideas of race and culture.

This resource invites us all to think more deeply about how identity is shaped and how we can create environments where everyone feels seen, respected, and whole.

In England and Wales, 2.9% (1.7 million) of people identified as Mixed or multiple Ethnic groups. 10.1% (2.5 million) of households consisted of members identifying with two or more different ethnic groups, an increase from 8.7% (2.0 million) in 2011. Source Home – Office for National Statistics

The Belonging Effect’s Mixed Race Identities Toolkit

We are collating a growing bank of resources to help you become conscious, confident and competent as coaches and mentors in navigating diversity, equity and inclusion in your workplace. Here are some questions to reflect on:

Do you consciously include people of mixed race in conversations about race, racism, and identity? If not, what assumptions or oversights might be causing their experiences to be left out?
What kinds of assumptions or microaggressions do mixed-heritage people commonly face?
Do you assume that people of mixed heritage are less affected by racism, especially if they are perceived as white-passing or lighter-skinned? Is that a fair or accurate perception?
What does it mean to “belong” to more than one culture—or to feel like you don’t fully belong to any?
How can mixed-heritage individuals navigate the pressure to “choose sides” in terms of identity?
Where do mixed-heritage people find community, and what makes those spaces feel safe or unsafe?