<p>I support AA because I think it’s important to have different cultures and ideologies represented in a classroom as well as on a college campus. No, I’m not saying that there’s any blatant difference between a white person and a Hispanic person. But when it comes down to a classroom discussion, the Hispanic person may have something different to add to the discussion that is based on their cultural background. For example, I’m the only Bangladeshi in my US Government class. I’m also the only Muslim. When we have discussions in the classroom, I find that I often have differing viewpoints than the rest of my classmates BECAUSE of the culture and the religon in I was raised and BECAUSE I have seen more of the world than my fellow classmates have. As a result, the classroom discussion becomes more enlightening for all of the students. This discussion now allows me to step into the shoes of someone who was raised differently than I, and the other students in my classroom are more understanding and tolerant of WHY I was raised to have the viewpoint that I have.</p>
<p>I’m not saying that all whites have the same viewpoints and all Hispanics have the same viewpoints and all Asians have the same viewpoints and there’s no overlap at all. But I am saying that two people whose parents are from different countries are MORE LIKELY to have differing viewpoints than two people whose parents were raised in the same country and in the same religion. The only way to become tolerant and understanding of another person’s viewpoint is to step into their shoes – and a classroom discussion with people from different backgrounds and with different beliefs allows us to do that. </p>
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Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe there’s a place right underneath the Ethnic Self-Identification box where you can explain/add additional comments. So if you mention that you’re grandmother is from Ghana, I believe you’ll be fine. I remember reading an article that featured a senior who was White but had one grandparent who was Asian – he checked off both boxes and was accepted. That same article talked about a student who was going to check off that he was Hispanic and Asian because one grandparent was Hispanic.</p>