Mission
Critical Mixed Race Studies (CMRS) Association is a collective of scholars, artists, community activists, clinicians, and students whose work analyzes and critiques social, cultural, and political institutions based on dominant conceptions of race. CMRS emphasizes the fluidity of race and other intersecting identities to critique processes of racialization and social stratification. CMRS works to undo local and global systemic injustice rooted in systems of racism and white supremacy through scholarship, teaching, advocacy, the arts, activism, and other forms of social justice work. History
Founded by Camilla Fojas, Laura Kina, and Wei Ming Dariotis, the inaugural November 5–6, 2010 CMRS conference “Emerging Paradigms in Critical Mixed Race Studies” was hosted by DePaul University in Chicago, IL. Reginald Daniel, Wei Ming Dariotis, Laura Kina, Maria P.P. Root and Paul Spickard founded the Journal of Critical Mixed Race Studies in 2011 through UC Santa Barbara and the first issue was released in 2014. November 1–4, 2012 DePaul hosted the 2nd biennial CMRS conference “What is Critical Mixed Race Studies?” in conjunction with a Mixed Roots Midwest festival. The 3rd biennial CMRS conference, “Global Mixed Race,” was also held at DePaul University in Nov 13–15, 2014. CMRS continued a partnership with Mixed Roots Stories to bring arts and cultural programing to the conference. In March 2015, the Critical Mixed Race Studies Association (CMRSA) was founded through the fiscal sponsorship of Asian Americans Advancing Justice Chicago. The 4th CMRS conference, “Explorations in Trans (gender, gressions, migrations, racial) Fifty Years After Loving v. Virginia,” took place Feb 24–26, 2017 at University of Southern California and was hosted by the USC Shinso Ito Center for Japanese Religions and Culture in conjunction with the Hapa Japan Festival. In May 2017, the CMRSA held its first elections, resulting in a dedicated board of members, including the Executive Committee. The 5th annual CMRS conference, “Resist, Reclaim, Reimagine,” was held at the University of Maryland, March 1-3, 2018. The partnership with Mixed Roots Stories has continued throughout each of the conferences, bringing arts and cultural programming to CMRS. The next conference will take place February 25-27, 2022 at Arizona State University. Donate HERE: https://www.asufoundation.org/colleges-and-programs/schools-and-colleges/watts-college-of-public-service-and-community-solutions/critical-mixed-race-studies-CA109483.html
