75% Caucasion, 25% Hispanic -- What race am I?

jewel1048
Sat, 10 Jul 2010 13:46:29 +0000

For the purposes of legal documents, he’s not Hispanic. He’s just plain white.

I’m not wrong. It’s only one person (his grandfather) that he mentioned was Hispanic. If his parents and most of his ancestors aren’t from Latin American countries, then he can’t claim the title.

For example, I know someone whose whole family line is in Argentina. He lives and breathes the Argentinian culture. He eats the food. He even lived in Argentina and Brazil, Latin American countries. One thing is that he was born in New Zealand during a vacation. However, he can claim the status of being Hispanic because, for one thing, most of his family (notably his parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and great-great grandparents were born and spent their whole lives in South America), he’s experienced firsthand the culture by speaking the language, eating the food, and living all the life of a Hispanic (the good and the bad—he doesn’t claim his heritage when it most suits him, like for admissions purposes…ahem ahem), and he even looks like a Hispanic, basically.

He’s Hispanic, so on college applications, he can put a check next to Hispanic. He’s certainly not going to say that he’s a Pacific Islander only because he was born there on a vacation, because he has Hispanic parents and Hispanic roots.

No one has to eat the food or speak the native language to be a certain nationality. But most of your family does have to come from the aforementioned country.

How was your grandfather born in a Latin American country. Be more specific. Was he just born their during a vacation or something? Is he the only one? Or is the entire side of his family Hispanic?

Because from what you’ve told me, most of your family is white (most of them came from Europe). So, you’re white.

And how could you not know your own ethnicity? How is this even a question? Is this complicated or something? Just go to your parents…if they’re white, then you’re white.