Historical Relevance and Modern Perceptions: Mixed-Black and Mixed-Native Racial Categorization and Resource Deservingness

Growing multiracial populations in the United States underscore the evolving complexity of racial identity, particularly in how racial perceptions shape perceived deservingness to resources. This research examines how individuals with Black/White and Native American/White ancestries are categorized and the influence of categorization on perceived deservingness of group-specific resources. It explores the persistence of hypodescent (assigning by non-dominant identity) and hyperdescent (assigning by dominant identity) relating to historical and policy contexts. Across two studies, participants categorized mixed-race targets and evaluated their deservingness for minority-specific resources (i.e., scholarship). Black/White targets were categorized as more Black, consistent with hypodescent bias, while Native/White targets were often categorized as more White, consistent with hyperdescent. Comparatively, these categorizations shaped perceptions of resource deservingness, especially for Black/White targets. This underscores the complexities of perceived multiracial group categorization and may suggest the need for nuanced understanding of racial identity in an increasingly diverse society.