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While sitting around their dining room table,
Edwin and Emma Tarleton listened as their daughter, Heather, and
her friend puzzled aloud over the racial differences of their respective
families. A black mommy and a white dad was strange to the brown
friend with the all-black family.
Ed and Emma did their best to impress upon
the girls that both of their families were okay. That they were
very much loved by their families and that even though families
looked different, they shared the same feelings of love. Their explanation
seemed to pass muster. The girls were soon outdoors making other
discoveries, but the Tarletons were left wondering how often their
viewpoint, that interracial families are okay too, would be reinforced
on the outside.
The Tarletons felt so strongly that Heather
needed to see other interracial families who also wanted to affirm
that the interracial family is worth of approval, that they decided
to start a support group. Announcements were placed in the local
newspaper and the first response came on July 6, 1984. On July 10,
1984, Diane Rehm opened her radio show on WAMU-FM with Dr. Alvin
Poussaint and Professor Joyce Ladner discussing a conference held
in New York on the subject of "Children in Interracial Marriages."
Emma's call into that show put her in touch with the Council on
Interracial Books for Children and the nine organizations represented
at the conference.
With information provided by The Interracial
Family Alliance in Houston, Biracial Family Network in Chicago,
Interracial Families Inc in Pittsburgh and I-Pride in San Francisco,
six families, the Tarletons, Margaret Shank, Janet Ruck and Carl
Pastor, Carrie Thomas and Bill Colella, the Bobbits and Jo Wilson
decided to sit down together to discuss the unique needs of interracial
families in the Washington-Baltimore area.
The first organization meeting was held
as a camping weekend on Labor Day 1984. Committees were appointed
to lay the foundation of what is now known as the Interracial Family
Circle (IFC). The next few committee meetings culminated with the
drafting of the organization's Purpose and By-laws and the establishment
of the post office box address.
On October 20, 1984, at the second meeting,
the membership adopted the Bylaws of the IFC and elected the first
officers. A reporter from the Baltimore Sun arrived to interview
the members for a news feature. The good fortune of that first interview
resulted in increased membership and public interest in the IFC.
A collection of the many interesting happenings was published in
December 1984 in IFC's first newsletter. 
IFC had grown to 26 families by the second
annual board meeting in October of 1985. In 1986 the IFC members
made the unanimous decision to become incorporated and to adopt
the IFC Philosophy. The Articles of Incorporation were adopted on
April 2, 1986 and were approved by the State of Maryland.
Our first televised appearance as an organization
occurred on July 15, 1986. With IFC families in the audience, Carrie
and Bill Colella, Pat and Fred Edwards and El and Loen Maroney were
panelists on the Carol Randolph show on WUSA Channel 9.
1986 also saw the creation of the IFC logo,
which was by Carol Vaughan and approved by the membership on August
9.
Federal Tax status was granted on September
11, 1986.
IFC's first public educational seminar was
held on October 25, 1986. The topic was "Identity Issues of Biracial
Children".
The first IFC letterhead and brochures were
printed.
A lending library was established. A list
of books and other material was compiled.
The first Holiday Party was held on December
13, 1986
The IFC Banner was handmade by Lynn Eppard
and first put into use.
With great sadness, IFC saw the passing
of founding member Edwin Tarleton on May 5, 1988.
June 17-18, 1988 the IFC successfully sponsored
its first public booth at the Columbia Fair in Columbia, MD to answer
questions, give out brochures and do face painting.
August 21, 1998: The first annual Picnic
was held at Wheaton Regional Park.
The IFC became a founding member of the
Association of Multi-Ethnic Americans (AMEA) on November 12, 1988.
The first AMEA meeting was held in San Francisco and hosted by I-Pride.
I-Pride donated frequent flyer miles and opened their homes as host
families to help make sure far-away members, like IFC could attend.
IFC's second public seminar, "Interracial
Families: Living Healthy in an unhealthy Society," was held April
22, 1989 at the Sumner School Museum in Washington, DC. It was a
panel discussion of IFC members who represented all the race/gender
combinations in the group.
IFC t-shirts first went on sale!
The IFC went to PG County Worldfest on June
17, 1989
An IFC contingent attended the 2nd annual
meeting of AMEA, sponsored by the Interracial Club of Buffalo.
June 2, 1990: the IFC sponsored a public
seminar entitled "Identity Issues for Biracial Children" held at
St. Augustine's Church in Washington, DC.
The first Edwin Tarleton Leadership Award
for Exemplary Service was presented to Pat Edwards for her tireless
work on behalf of the IFC.
The IFC is invited by the Multicultural
Support Group of Fort Ritchie MD for a weekend party.
The Board approved the first newsletter
mailing budget.
May 11, 1991: IFC public seminar titled,
"Interracial Families: How the Psychology of Race Colors Their World",
at St. Columbia's Church in Washington, DC.
The 2nd Edwin Tarleton Award was presented
to Mary McElvene.
Under President Edwin Dardin, the IFC get
national recognition in: The New York Daily News, USA Today, The
Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Times,
CNBC, The Home Show, and Evening Exchange.
June 13, 1992: The IFC hosted the third
AMEA and the Loving Conference, a national conference celebrating
the U.S. Supreme Court Decision Loving v. Virginia, that ended laws
prohibiting interracial or intercultural marriage. The opening ceremonies
were attended by Mrs. Loving and their children.
With the thought that the IFC is a "beautiful
collage of culture, heritage of color" and its newsletter was a
collage of articles, comments, photos, thoughts, and feelings put
together to create a single work, member Jodi Murphy suggested the
name "Collage" for the IFC newsletter, the name it has today.
August 1992: IFC joined the fight for a
multi-racial category on federal forms.
September 1992: The Collage debuts a new
masthead.
October 18, 1992: The inception of the Baltimore
Area committee. IFC targeted five school districts with requests
for a multi-racial category on all school-generated forms that ask
for race.
August 1993: IFC's first membership survey.
Edward and Rachel Eitches establish an Essay
Contest for High School students extolling the merits of Interracial
Family Life. The topic "What Makes Me Proud to Be From an Interracial
Family?" carried a cash prize of $100.
February 1994: The inception of the Transracial
Adoption Committee.
June 11, 1994: a public seminar "Striving
for a Prejudice-Free Environment" on Capitol Hill.
August 13, 1994: The 10th Anniversary Celebration
was held at the Wheaton Regional Park. Emma Tarleton was presented
the 4th Edwin Tarleton Award.
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