<p>So I checked off the box for National Achievement on my PSATs last year and now I'm a semifinalist, but I'm not sure how comfortable I am pursuing this anymore. I'm 1/4 black, so while I identify as biracial and a member of the black community, I wouldn't say I was 'black' (just as I wouldn't say I was 'white', I really only identify as biracial), so I wasn't sure what to do for the PSAT, but my proctor who was also biracial told me 'not to limit my options' so I ended up checking the box. The thing is now I'm semifinalist in National Merit and National Achievement, so I'm feeling a bit uncomfortable pursuing both competitions since many people wouldn't 'count' me as black and honestly I'm not even sure if I do (now this isn't one of those things where I'm only counting myself as black to get advantages, I'm just still trying to figure out how I identify). So I guess I'm wondering, is it ok for me to be a candidate for National Achievement? Should I continue in the competition or just stick to National Merit?
Thanks for your thoughts, I'd really appreciate any opinions on this :)</p>
<p>Like what are you mixed with?</p>
<p>Iām 3/4 white, so Iām quite pale but I look more like my dad so I have features that are more African. I kind of feel like Iām black enough to be outside of the white community while being white enough to be outside the black community so I canāt really tell where I stand.</p>
<p>i think you have to choose one anyways (you cant win both scholarships). think of it this way, if you pursued national achievement and won, would you feel in any way dishonest or guilty? if you would, dont pursue it. if you wouldnāt, go ahead and pursue it. do what you feel is right, because i feel like many of us havent been in your shoes to be able to tell you whether you should or shouldnt do it. :)</p>
<p>Iām also part black. Like you, I donāt solely identify with the black community. I agree with the poster above me ā if you think you would feel even slightly dishonest if you won, then donāt pursue if. If not, then by all means go ahead!</p>
<p>Wishing you the best of luck, OP.</p>
<p>āThe National AchievementĀ® Scholarship Program is an academic competition established in 1964 to provide recognition for outstanding Black American high school students.ā</p>
<p>You are 3/4 white. This is not rocket science.</p>
<p>^I see your point (and Iām pretty sure Iām just not going to pursue it) but you donāt have to be so rude about it. This actually is a tough issue that 97% of the US population canāt really understand.</p>
<p>Lol I apologize if I came off as rude. I do not know where you got your 97% statistic from, but I just thought it was funny that the website points out Black American.</p>
<p>Yeah, but there are different interpretations of āBlack Americanā. If I lived a few decades earlier I would be considered black, no question (I can go into the basic history of the āone dropā rule if you want me to but I donāt want to ramble so Iāll let you just look it up if you want). And according to the 2010 census, 2.9% of Americans identify as multiracial, so 97% wouldnāt identify as such and therefore wouldnāt totally get the issue.</p>
<p>hardlyworking
That is not correct. My DS was a finalist in both National Merit and National Achievement in 2010. He got the large college scholarship for being National Merit and in addition, he was awarded $2,500 by National Achievement. At first, he rejected the latter thinking the way you do, but they called him on the phone and told him he could accept it and so he did.</p>
<p>Iām half black and half white but i live in a majority white area and I donāt really self identify with being black. Iām still going to do national achievement though. I mean why not? It isnāt your fault that some of the people that were fully black didnāt score high enough to beat you. You earned it as much as a scholarship that is given on the basis of race can be earned.</p>
<p>Yeah, except the fact that your not a Black American.</p>
<p>^ Have you ever heard of the one drop rule? If other people are going to consider you black you may as well take advantage of the situation.</p>
<p>Yes, I have. </p>
<p>āThe principle[ One drop rule] was an example of hypodescent:
In societies that regard some races of people as dominant or superior and others as subordinate or inferior, hypodescent is the automatic assignment of children of a mixed union or mating between members of different socioeconomic groups or ethnic groups to the minority group.ā</p>
<p>So the entire idea of the One Drop Rule is corrupt.</p>
<p>I find this a void point to discuss. Why try to take advantage, in this case exploit, something you in all honesty do not qualify for. You can do what you want, it is your life and your conscious, but it is very clear who this award is meant for.</p>
<p>Black American- Both your biological parents are Black. Therefore you are Black. You were born in America.</p>
<p>But, on a positive note, I wish you good luck when you apply for the other scholarships that you clear-cut qualify for. Obviously your hard work will pay off no matter what scholarships you end up getting.</p>
<p>Ok at this point Iām going off from the original point (Iām only going to pursue National Merit) but @bigshot, I donāt think you really understand what almostthere and I are getting at; the one drop rule is corrupt, it was used to preserve the white race by labeling mixed people as minority groups. But because of that, people who are mixed are often labeled by society as a member of that minority group. So if society is going to label us as black, why shouldnāt we take advantage of that label when we can? Also, being a āBlack Americanā does not mean necessarily that both of your parents are black. My dad is half white, half black technically (his mom was white) but he has dark skin and African features and he has been discriminated against because of that. So how is he not a Black American?</p>
<p>He can consider himself whatever he wants but when it comes to actually applying for something that has a clear cut rule: Black American, he would not qualify because being 1/2 white would make him a mixed American. </p>
<p>It does mean that both of your parents are black.</p>
<p>Just because he has African features and he is dark skinned does not make him a black American, his mother is white. An albino indigenous Kenyan is not white simply because his skin is.</p>
<p>I donāt understand where youāre getting this from, the idea that you can only be a race if youāre 100%. Can you tell me whatās making you think this way?</p>
<p>I do not understand why it is hard to comprehend. Lets put this is simple terms.</p>
<p>Cup A and B have milk. Cup C has orange juice.</p>
<p>(1) I pour cup A and B into a new cup, cup X. Cup X is made of milk completely.</p>
<p>(2) I pour cup B and C into a new cup, cup Z. Cup Z is made of a mix of milk and orange juice.</p>
<p>If I go to a restaurant and ask for milk. And the waiter can only choose between cup X and Z. He will not give me cup Z. He would give me cup X because that cup is pure milk as opposed to cup Z which is orange juice and milk ( a mix), which I did not ask for.</p>
<p>Cup Z can be identified as a MIX of orange juice and milk. But it cannot be identified as milk or orange juice.</p>
<p>^ What do you think about Obama then? Heās obviously biracial but he and most of America consider him to be black. The news articles didnāt say the first biracial president. He was the first black president. Even on the census when he was asked to check all that apply all he checked was black.
Now Iām the first to say that I wasnāt happy when I heard this because I feel like he slighted multiracial people as a whole but that is how our society sees a multiracial person. Generally if you are more than an eighth black you are going to be seen as a black person and treated accordingly. And as smwhtslghtlydzed mentioned it really is something that is hard to comprehend if you arenāt actually multiracial. If you are part black you have do the right to a black scholarship because you do have that black ancestry and canāt say that just because you are only part black that you havenāt struggled enough (or whatever BS reason there is for making scholarships specifically for black people that have much lower standards) and overcome societyās prejudice against you which is often doubled for multiracial people because you canāt completely fit into either racial community unless you do identify as solely black.</p>
<p>
except race isnāt the same as beveragesā¦
i was asking you to explain why you thought this was a clear cut rule. this explains your method of thinking, and that makes sense. but weāve given you reasons for our methods of thinking and you havenāt explained how those are invalid. i donāt have a problem with your opinion on this, just the fact that you think no one but you is close to right.</p>