Help with Race and Ethnicity?

Student Lounge Hispanic Students
1

<p>I have been visiting colleges recently. And on the forms before entering the tours/info session, they first ask if I am Hispanic/Latino. then they ask regardless of what I answered previously, I should select one of these.
1. American Indian or Alaska Native
2. Asian
3. Black or African American
4. Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
5. White</p>

<p>This is confusing because I don't fit these categories. Both my parents are Peruvian. When I fill out the applications for college is it mandatory to answer both questions? One thing I know is that my great grandmother was mulatto (african peruvian) and my great great grandfather was italian. My father's side is split between the mulatto and italian side and my mother's family is kind of related to the incas (I think). Am I allowed to answer both white and Black or what? This is a really strange thing created by the government btw I know that this rule was created by the census.</p>

2

<p>Both questions are optional, you can answer one, both or none.</p>

<p>The race question asks you to check all that apply, so you can mark as many as needed, these days many students are multi-racial and check more than one box. So, from what you have described, you can mark AA & white and possibly AI. I say possibly because you are not sure if you have Incan background (IMO, if you don’t know you are, then you aren’t).</p>

<p>The AI/NA category states: </p>

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<p>So, descendants of Incans would be included since the definition includes both continents, not just North America. You would not have tribal enrollment, so I’m not sure how much difference the AI designation would matter for college admissions.</p>