Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 11 replies, 12 voices, and was last updated 21 years, 2 months ago by
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In my family it is believed but not proven that we are of mixed race, specifically Native American, but some of us also suspect Afro-American (that part of the family has been in the United States more than 200 years). I would be proud to be either, but many people would not. I am very fair – red hair, hazel eyes – and if it were proven, would you still consider me white? My cousin married a Puerto Rican; their son is fair-skinned. On school forms that ask race, what should they put: White, Hispanic or other?
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Name : Kelly, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Lutheran, Age : 30, City : Brooklyn, State : NY, Country : United States, Occupation : Overnight stocking, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I think it’s a shame that so many forms require you to “be” one particular race. I would like to think that we’d gotten past this, but we haven’t. I would be tempted to specify None of Your Business or None of the Above or Humanoid or some other such vague answer to the question.
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Name : Jesse-N30810, Gender : M, Religion : Jewish, Age : 40, City : Herzliya, State : NA, Country : Israel, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College,Race is a social construct that only has meaning based on individual perceptions. Historically (in America but not in Latin America, South Africa and many other multiracial regions) anyone with one black ancestor was supposed to be considered black. The majority of Americans have ancestors of multiple races. After the 2000 Census, for the first time, the federal government and other data collecters, disseminaters and users will have a new racial standard. There will be six single races: White, black, Asian, Indian, Islander and some other race. However, respondents will also be able to select multiple races for the first time (meaning there will be a total of about 63 racial categories possible). By the way, Hispanic (like Anglo, Francophone or Slavic) is not a race but an ethno-linguistic group (ethnicity). Hispanic technically means simply “Spanish-speaking.” Some Hispanics are white (most Argentines and Spaniards), some are black (most Dominicans and Cubans), some are Indians (most Bolivians and Guatemalans), many are mestizo (mixed white and Indian and including most Mexicans) and some are Asian (including the president of Peru).
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Name : H., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : white Southerner, Religion : Methodist, Age : 25, City : Washington, State : DC, Country : United States, Occupation : statistician, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,My sister in Kansas City encounters the same problem on government forms. The government has it all wrong. They put Latin/Hispanic as a race when it’s not. My family is white/Caucasian and we are Venezuelans since six generations ago (ethnically Latin/Hispanics), like 30 percent percent of the population here. My six-year-old niece looks like Snow White, is perfectly bilingual (English/Spanish) and dances Latin rythms like crazy. So what does my sister (her mother) put on government forms? She puts what they ask for, race, in our case white/Caucasian. But when the school district people (for example) hear them speaking in Spanish they ask them to correct that and put Latin/Hispanic. Talk about ignorance! Racial tensions in the United States will decrease when the government stops asking about things like race, or when schools stop teaching racial highlights like so and so was the first “African American” to do such and such, as if they were a separate species. My advice to all Americans and the U.S. Government: Just be that, Americans. It’s easier than being White-American, Afro-American, Hispanic-American, Asian-American and all that bull.
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Name : Nelson A., Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 30, City : Caracas, State : NA, Country : Venezuela, Occupation : Lawyer/Business, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Our society seems obsessed with labeling and categorizing people. Many people are of mixed ethnicity and don’t fit into the prescribed categories. The choice is really up to you; you decide how you would like to identify. And, if you don’t like the choices, you can always choose “other.” That’s really where most of us belong anyway.
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Name : Lucy H, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Age : 24, City : San Jose, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Hooray for Nelson Caracas’ answer. I find it very offensive when I hear the terms Afro-American/Latin American or any other whatsoever-American. We are all ‘AMERICANS’ and lets stop creating more ethnic backgrounds. It is time to forget all the devisive terms and join togeather as ‘One nation, indivisable, with liberty and justice for all’
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Name : Phil Jones, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Religion : Presbyterian, Age : 63, City : Port ST Joe, State : FL, Country : United States, Occupation : Retired, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class,I have another question. My mother is 1/2 Latina. My father is German/Irish. I am hazel eyed blonde who speaks some Spanish. I work for county government in a supervisory position. I serve on interview panels – human resources says NO WAY can I be classified as hispanic on interview panel, even if I consider my background in the culture. They say I am a white female. What about my children? Their father is 1/2 hispanic 1/2 Scot, he is first generation American. What are they? What is the EXACT percentage to be ethnic as far as government regulations?
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Name : M. Brown, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Age : 38, City : San Diego, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : Government Supervisor, Education level : 2 Years of College,This is a response to Nelson the Venezuelan attorney. Nelson, Nelson, Nelson where do I start? We identify ourselves as African-Americans because that is what we are. We enumerate our accomplishments because historically our accomplishments have been ignored in this country. I am quite sure you are familiar with the concept of ignoring people of color. If you are in the United States, and have cable television have you noticed that there is not one Afro-Latina woman in a permanent position in the news, current events or even in the telenovelas. The last one I recall is Celia Cruz and look at the status she has and more importantly, the role she played on that television program. In closing, I look forward to the time when Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have A Dream’ speech is the reality but in the meantime, I still don’t need a mirror to know my race in this country.
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Name : A_Black_Woman, City : Marietta, State : GA, Country : United States,I am a mother of two bi-racial kids (their father is black, I am white). When filling out the forms for school re: race I always mark ‘bi-racial’. What amazes me year after year when filling out the same forms at the beginning of the school year, the school system has already marked ‘white’. No matter how many times I correct what they’ve marked, ‘white’ is marked the following year. How is it that we try to allow are kids to be self-confident and assured of who they are when the school system doesn’t or won’t do the same? I suppose they change it to fit whatever category will help the school system get as much money for each student as they can.
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Name : Pat N., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 35, City : Royal Palm Beach, State : FL, Country : United States, Occupation : Legal Secretary, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,We are all one race. The differences are superficial and only some difference are called ‘racial.’ Historically, people we consider to be the same race have seen each other as being racially different. Greeks and Turks probably see each other as being racially different, even though the historical data suggests that most of them are descended from the same racial stock. They certaily are physically indistinguishable when considered as a group. Historically, upper- and lower-class people saw themselves as racially different, etc. Many British people see the Irish as a separate race, etc.
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Name : SOF, Gender : M, Disability : very sensitive to toxic people, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : jewish atheist, Age : 63, City : college park, State : MD, Country : United States, Occupation : teacher, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I myself was confused when a Hispanic of obviously European descent was condescendingly calling me a ‘White Boy’. Most Hispanics in the US consider themselves one race. It must be confusing for foreigners, but as far as I understand, Hispanics in the US feel this sort of unity.
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Name : John29236, City : Chestnut, State : NY, Country : United States,I can understand your concern, I am in the same situation. My mother told me I look white, I pass for white so there for I am white. Just remember there are not pure bloods in the United States anymore.
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Name : Joe Boxer, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : white/ american indian, Religion : Baptist, Age : 50, City : houston, State : TX, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,
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