I am curious about whether or not I would be considered an under represented minority. I am half Costa Rican because
of my mother, but I am also half white. I do consider myself latina because I feel very connected to the Latin community,
but would I just check off the “white” box because I am only half Costa Rican?
Sorry about how that looks! 8-|
To me, it seems like you identify as bi-racial. If that is a part of your lived identity (and in this case it definitely seems to be), you should claim it.
The strange thing about the hispanic box is that it is not a racial category, so there is no way to distinguish between between being %100 hispanic with white skin and 50% white hispanic/ 50% white non-hispanic. This bothers me.
Don’t let it bother you. I’m sure you have more pressing concerns. And if you don’t–you’re so very lucky that being bothered shouldn’t even cross your mind.
Hispanic is a cultural heritage so anyone can be Hispanic regardless of their origins.
^ But this isn’t an invitation for people to “suddenly discover” this heritage in a naked attempt to game the system.
I’m Chinese but have relatives who have been 2 generations in Cuba. Fine for them. Not fine for me or my kids
This is what the National Hispanic Recognition Program uses to identify Hispanic status:
So you only need 1 grandparent from one of those countries so your mom being from CR means you are Hispanic.
Why would that bother you? There’s no way to distinguish percentages for racial categories either. You either belong in a category or you don’t; there’s no minimum percentage to qualify.
The [US Census Bureau](https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/meta/long_RHI725215.htm), defines hispanic as: “A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race.” Their website indicates that a person’s origin can be where they, or their ancestors, were born. But it also says their origin can refer to their heritage too. That definition muddies the water. I think the definitions of any college that accepts federal money would have to be those outlined by the US Census, not the National Hispanic Recognition Program, so I don’t think it currently matters whether or not your family came from a particular country. If your family heritage is hispanic, you get to check the box.
The US Census Bureau is working to clarify the definition of hispanic. By the next federal census the questions about hispanic origin could be tied to specific countries of origin. They’ve already been testing questions like those found on [page 4](http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/pdf/20120808_aqe_10am.pdf) of their Alternative Questionnaire Experiment. Until then, we have to use the definitions we have.
Hispanic isn’t a race, so you would classify as a “White Hispanic”. When the application asks “Are you Hispanic/Latino?”, you’d answer “Yes” and maybe specify a Hispanic country you’re associated with (Costa Rica in this case). Then it’ll ask for your race, and I guess you’d have to put “White”.