What is the requirement to be classified as black or African-American in a college application?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here: one child would pass for AA in terms of his features and applied for college as an AA. His sibling - same biological parents - has no AA features and would pass for white if anyone saw him.

Would it be a problem for him if he applied as an AA? He will be going to college next year.

Good god woman! If the boy is black, check the damn box. With two black children how you can be so far removed from the black community that this is an issue for you is beyond me! As my three-year-old says, "Duh!!!"

Oh, you KNOW it's the white person from the relationship asking this question. The Black partner would KNOW that their child is Black. It does bother me a little, though, that these boys got to be in their late teens and apparently don't know whether or not they are Black. Especially for the one who the world can see is mixed race, I imagine that was a bit confusing.

[Anonymous]

Q: What should an employer do if it believes that an employee is of a different race or ethnicity than the employee claims to be?

A: The employer must accept the employee’s self-identification by race and by ethnicity. Self-identification is a basic principle underlying these changes to the EEO-1 report. See 70 Fed. Reg. 71296.

If you self-identify as black, then that's that. Nobody is allowed to question it.

[Anonymous]

I would add one thing:

Think about what you have been checking off for racial boxes on school forms.

If you've always marked multi-racial or white for this son don't stop now. It looks suspicious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here: one child would pass for AA in terms of his features and applied for college as an AA. His sibling - same biological parents - has no AA features and would pass for white if anyone saw him.

Would it be a problem for him if he applied as an AA? He will be going to college next year.

Good god woman! If the boy is black, check the damn box. With two black children how you can be so far removed from the black community that this is an issue for you is beyond me! As my three-year-old says, "Duh!!!"

Oh, you KNOW it's the white person from the relationship asking this question. The Black partner would KNOW that their child is Black. It does bother me a little, though, that these boys got to be in their late teens and apparently don't know whether or not they are Black. Especially for the one who the world can see is mixed race, I imagine that was a bit confusing.

Very simplistic: is Obama black - I know he is viewed as black - but he is half white. If his complexion and other features were white, would we be as quick to label him as black? Physical characteristics do play a big part in how one is perceived.

[Anonymous]

From The New York Times:

Mixed-Race Students Wonder How Many Boxes to Check

Without clear guidance from the colleges, mixed-race students often turn to one another for advice, and their conversations spotlight how contentious the multiracial factor is in admissions.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/14/us/14students.html?mwrsm=Email

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here: one child would pass for AA in terms of his features and applied for college as an AA. His sibling - same biological parents - has no AA features and would pass for white if anyone saw him.

Would it be a problem for him if he applied as an AA? He will be going to college next year.

Good god woman! If the boy is black, check the damn box. With two black children how you can be so far removed from the black community that this is an issue for you is beyond me! As my three-year-old says, "Duh!!!"

Oh, you KNOW it's the white person from the relationship asking this question. The Black partner would KNOW that their child is Black. It does bother me a little, though, that these boys got to be in their late teens and apparently don't know whether or not they are Black. Especially for the one who the world can see is mixed race, I imagine that was a bit confusing.

Very simplistic: is Obama black - I know he is viewed as black - but he is half white. If his complexion and other features were white, would we be as quick to label him as black? Physical characteristics do play a big part in how one is perceived.

He's actually the tiniest bit less than half white --mom had a black ancestor

What really matters with Obama is that he identifies as black, not biracial. He also married a darker-skinned AA woman although many successful black men chose non-black wives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here: one child would pass for AA in terms of his features and applied for college as an AA. His sibling - same biological parents - has no AA features and would pass for white if anyone saw him.

Would it be a problem for him if he applied as an AA? He will be going to college next year.

Good god woman! If the boy is black, check the damn box. With two black children how you can be so far removed from the black community that this is an issue for you is beyond me! As my three-year-old says, "Duh!!!"

Oh, you KNOW it's the white person from the relationship asking this question. The Black partner would KNOW that their child is Black. It does bother me a little, though, that these boys got to be in their late teens and apparently don't know whether or not they are Black. Especially for the one who the world can see is mixed race, I imagine that was a bit confusing.

Very simplistic: is Obama black - I know he is viewed as black - but he is half white. If his complexion and other features were white, would we be as quick to label him as black? Physical characteristics do play a big part in how one is perceived.

"It's not what you're called, but what you answer to."

I am a Rorschach test of racial ambiguity. If you saw my face, you'd all being nodding. I know I'm black, so it doesn't matter what I look like to anyone. It does not matter if someone may mistake this young man for anything else. Certainly not in this situation.

[Anonymous]

There is no requirement. It is up to your individual view.

[Anonymous]

OP - Is "mixed race" not one of his options?

Also, there's an easy way to answer this question: Does your son use a washcloth in the shower? If so, check Black. If not, out of luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - Is "mixed race" not one of his options?

Also, there's an easy way to answer this question: Does your son use a washcloth in the shower? If so, check Black. If not, out of luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - Is "mixed race" not one of his options?

Also, there's an easy way to answer this question: Does your son use a washcloth in the shower? If so, check Black. If not, out of luck.

Wait what?
Did I miss something from the epic washcloth thread(s)?
Signed, As pasty as they come but don't consider it a shower unless a washcloth is available.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here: one child would pass for AA in terms of his features and applied for college as an AA. His sibling - same biological parents - has no AA features and would pass for white if anyone saw him.

Would it be a problem for him if he applied as an AA? He will be going to college next year.

Good god woman! If the boy is black, check the damn box. With two black children how you can be so far removed from the black community that this is an issue for you is beyond me! As my three-year-old says, "Duh!!!"

Oh, you KNOW it's the white person from the relationship asking this question. The Black partner would KNOW that their child is Black. It does bother me a little, though, that these boys got to be in their late teens and apparently don't know whether or not they are Black. Especially for the one who the world can see is mixed race, I imagine that was a bit confusing.

Very simplistic: is Obama black - I know he is viewed as black - but he is half white. If his complexion and other features were white, would we be as quick to label him as black? Physical characteristics do play a big part in how one is perceived.

"It's not what you're called, but what you answer to."

I am a Rorschach test of racial ambiguity. If you saw my face, you'd all being nodding. I know I'm black, so it doesn't matter what I look like to anyone. It does not matter if someone may mistake this young man for anything else. Certainly not in this situation.

Exactly! That is their problem, not his!

[Anonymous]

everyone should check black on their applications. I wish I did. No one can question your self-identification by law.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it seems there should be a relatively obvious answer but African-American includes those from Africa and the Caribbean.

If one were born in Africa or the Caribbean - or if an applicant's parent or grandparent was born there - can one obtain minority preference for college application? Are there any specific limitations in this regard?

If you are asking if you can be South African and be of Dutch descent then you should be able to figure out the answer on your own. No really sure how much preference is supposedly given to "minorities" but if you think it is worth your integrity then go for it.

I know two afrikaaners who checked 'african-american' on their apps -

so yes, OP can check it.

[Anonymous]

My daughter's grandmother is from Spain and we did consider listing her as Spanish because the college applications spelled out that she qualified. We chose not to but if I had to do it over I would have listed her as such. If you an opportunity to list as AA or of African/Caribbean origin I encourage you to do so. It certainly won't hurt and everyone else is in fact doing likewise.