<p>I'm really confused how to answer this question on college applications. My dad is from Egypt. I say I should mark the African American box. My Mom who is American says I should choose the White box which say its includes middleeasterns.</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>YEAHBUDDY</p>
<p>Listen to your mother.</p>
<p>Mom knows best. :)</p>
<p>yeah, in the context, ‘african american’ means black, so egyptian doesn’t count. if you’re arab, then you’re not black, so while you could get away with it, it’s really stretching the truth and i would advise against it.</p>
<p>^^In general I agree but it’s not entirely that simple in the case of north African Arabs because not all Arabs are white. I lived next door to Egypt in Libya for over 4 years when I was a kid, and there white Arabs and black Arabs there in the same sense as there are white and black Americans - and for the same reason, the black Arabs being the descendants of slaves brought up from the south. There are also a lot that are of mixed blood. </p>
<p>So in this case the legitimacy of claiming to be an “African American,” in the sense that most Americans understand the term, may depend on whether the OP’s dad is a black or white Arab.</p>
<p>Arabs are considered “Caucasians” even though they may not be exactly light skinned. Put down white… because you definitely are not African-American(aka a Black American whose ancestors were from Sub-Saharan Africa).</p>
<p>Couldnt you figure this out for yourself?</p>
<p>If you have to ask your not.</p>
<p>This is a real gray area. Your father is African. Egypt is an African nation. Therefore, you might be ok in saying you are African-American. However, Egypt has a complex geopolitical history. Cleopatra was Macedonian-a direct descendant of the blonde, blue-eyed Alexander the Great- ie Greek- and the Greeks ruled Egypt for centuries. Egyptians, Copts, Greeks, Jews, Arabs, Turks- all comingled in Egypt. I do know that when I was in med school, there was a girl who had put down African-American as her race (she was half Turk/half Egyptian) Med school classes are small and everyone knows everyone’s business. This student was more involved in Muslim/arab organizations and did not even join the African American med student group. Other African American students were pretty upset with her and we all knew what she had done to get in…</p>
<p>Eff this whole race thing. There should be two categories offered for people to check, “Balla” and “Non-Balla,” and all Non-Ballas are rejected</p>
<p>And not all Irish, Italians, and Eastern Europeans would consider themselves “White” (i.e., WASP), either.</p>
<p>^^ That just made my day.</p>
<p>-------------------------------------------If it is to be, it is up to me…</p>
<p>Very few Greeks are blonde and blue-eyed. </p>
<p>What’s your source for Alexander?</p>
<p>Herodotus - you will find him to be an excellent source of Greek history!</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/927219-race-college-admission-faq-discussion-8-a.html?highlight=faq[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/927219-race-college-admission-faq-discussion-8-a.html?highlight=faq</a></p>
<p>From post number 13
"FAQ section on “Race”: Part 5, White Persons from Africa or Asia
Quote:
My family was born and raised in Morocco.
You are white by the federal definitions,</p>
<p>Black or African American persons, percent, 2000</p>
<p>as are various people of Middle Eastern origin.</p>
<p>“White. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa. It includes people who indicate their race as ‘White’ or report entries such as Irish, German, Italian, Lebanese, Near Easterner, Arab, or Polish.”</p>
<p>You also have the choice of not indicating any ethnicity or race at all. What a college does with what it sees on your form varies from college to college.</p>
<p>Good luck in your applications, and good luck to everyone else applying in the coming application season.</p>
<p>Quote:
I am Persian.
You are white by the federal definitions,</p>
<p>Black or African American persons, percent, 2000</p>
<p>as are various people of Middle Eastern origin.</p>
<p>“White. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa. It includes people who indicate their race as ‘White’ or report entries such as Irish, German, Italian, Lebanese, Near Easterner, Arab, or Polish.”</p>
<p>You also have the choice of not indicating any ethnicity or race at all. What a college does with what it sees on your form varies from college to college.</p>
<p>Good luck in your applications, and good luck to everyone else applying in the coming application season.</p>
<p>Quote:
Since when was “Middle Eastern” a sub-category of “White”?
Since the beginning of federal law on the subject. There has never been a separate “Middle Eastern” category (even though some people in some eras have asked for one) and Middle Eastern people have long been construed as just as white as Icelanders, Italians, Greeks, Latvians, and Irish people for purposes of any law in the United States that distinguished white people from other people.</p>
<p>One consequence of this is that there was much more immigration to the United States in the 1920s by Arab people than by Chinese or Japanese people (who were banned from immigration to the United States). There have been various social consequences of this after arrival as well.</p>
<p>This may not make sense to you, but it is the law. "</p>
<p>Wow, Herodotus must have been some powerful historian to have known about Alexander’s hair color - since Herodotus died 70 years before Alexander was born. </p>
<p>Why do people make up this stuff that’s so easy to check?</p>
<p>Re:13 Plutarch, as well. I have only read translations, but ones that were highly regarded.
Re :15 Egypt is part of the African continent. Go visit the south of Egypt (Luxor is lovely). I am not sure you would call those folks white with a straight face.</p>
<p>"e :15 Egypt is part of the African continent. Go visit the south of Egypt (Luxor is lovely). I am not sure you would call those folks white with a straight face. "</p>
<p>^I don’t make the rules! Those are the “federal definitions”; learned about that in the early FAQ’s…BTW, where were you in med school? I went to Howard Med 80-84.(about 1/3 where not ANYBODIES definition of Black).</p>
<p>Re:16 Herodotus at length described the tribe from which Alexander descended. Josephus describes Alexander as well. A quick peak at Wiki does not a liberal arts education from an Ivy make. I am done with trying to give you a brief education in antiquities- try the discovery channel.</p>
<p>If you have to ask, then you are not African American. Please be honest.</p>