<p>This is something that has been bugging me for a while now. First off I am first-generation American. Both my parents,grandparents, and great grandparents all were born and raised in South Africa. With this said I am and look very much white. I realize that African-American== Black, but the reason I have been thinking about this so much is because many I know many who have Hispanic ancestry, all of which are born of America and some of which look white. However all of these people mark Hispanic on their SATs. I am more “African” than these people are “Mexican” however I cannot mark African-America because of the conception that African-American==Black. Is it wrong for me to mark African-American on my SAT? Why is it justified for people of “Hispanic” ancestry who are very much “White” to mark Hispanic, but not right for me to mark African-American?</p>
<p>Mark it. I believe the term African-American relates to geography and culture, such as me for example my mother was born and raised in Africa, but my father in America. I grew up in the African-American community even though my appearance is white, I think of myself as an African-American because of the culture I absorbed. Oh I also remember hearing on CNN that the new term is Black-American for people who are black and lived in America for multiple generations.</p>
<p>This has NOTHING to do with how you look or your culture. </p>
<p>Technically, if you knew your family tree from the last 200 years… </p>
<p>Ancestor from the 1600’s comes to America from Africa… </p>
<p>His generation regardless of whom it is with all the way to today is considered African American. </p>
<p>Same if somebody were to come from Spain, Mexico or the like. </p>
<p>Any generation after regardless can be considered Hispanic. </p>
<p>those that come from Europe and those that come from the middle east (surprisingly enough) are considered White for the same reasons aforementioned ^</p>
Hispanics are not of white ancestry… Where on earth did you get that be from, and just because your family is from south Africa doesnt make you any less able to consider yourself African american. There are all color Africans. There are white Africans who are from south Africa and there are your “black” Africans although Africans do not identify as being black. So hell, check African american.
The reason for the URM distinction is that the federal government recognizes that some of our citizens have not have the “equal” opportunities that other students have had in exposure to good education and opportunities. The federal government takes information on students who have had limited educational opportunities and those who have been disadvantaged through no fault of their own, because of where and what their income has limited to them. Disadvantages have been experienced in people of color. It has to do with the disadvantages of growing up in the 'hood, barrio, etc. People from these neighborhoods, who have survived high school and come out alive, tend to get URM status. People attending the HBCU’s tend to get URM status.
Really, if you can’t get in on your stats, putting down a URM category won’t help. For the ivies that conduct interviews, and a LOT do, putting down African-American won’t help.
Not… ALL the categories, except Hispanic/Latino, are purely racial categorizations, totally independent of geography or culture. A black person who is an Irish citizen and grew up in Indonesia is still black.
Hispanic/Latino is the totally arbitrary category. If u can cite 2 degrees of separation from ANYTHING remotely pertaining to the country of Spain, then u can claim being Hispanic/Latino, unless of course u are Filipino.
Wrong. Hispanic can be ANY race, including white. There are even Japanese Peruvians.
No again. It has nothing to do w disadvantage due to color. There are lots of northern Africans who are dark skinned but technically classified as white. They presumably add less diversity to the table thsn a student wbo ticks the Native American box but is only 1/32 Native American.
Don’t even try to make any sense of any of it. It is what it is.
The term African American refers to the group of people who were once called colored, negro, and black. But, I agree that we need new terms to distinguish people who are from the continent of Africa regardless of race and people who are black regardless of country and people who black from American with distant roots in Africa.
We already have those terms:
‘African American’ refers to US citizens.
‘African national’ refers to geography. Or we simply state thw country of origin, like South African.
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
More to the point, this thread was started 3 years ago and the OP is long gone. Closing thread.