December 15, 2004
By David Morse
Writer Richard Rodriguez calls Richard M. Nixon the inventor of Hispanics.
His logic? In 1972, Nixon signed a federal mandate called Statistical Directive 15, establishing the current system of classifying Americans into five racial or ethnic groups: White, African American, American Indian / Alaska Native, Asian / Pacific Islander, and Hispanic.
In Rodriguez's words: "I have traveled throughout Latin America and I have looked for Hispanics. Everyone tells you there are no Hispanics there. Essentially, the whole category of the Hispanic is in fact an American fabrication."
Fabrication or not, Hispanics clearly do not represent a race. Rather, the category represents people of multiple racial backgrounds: Indigenous, African, European and Asian.
The Census asks the question of Hispanic origin separately from that of race, putting Hispanics into a unique category.
In 2000, 48% of those who identified themselves as Hispanic counted
themselves as white. Blacks made up 2% and the American Indian, Asian
and Pacific Islander categories made up only a fraction. Only 6%
described themselves as being of two or more races, an interesting fact
given that so many Latin Americans represent a mix of races. The
remaining 42% of Hispanics, a total of 15 million people, chose the
Census category "some other race" (SOR).
The Pew Hispanic Center has just released a study that examines the
relationship between Hispanics and race. Its findings suggest that
Hispanics view race in terms that go well beyond simple genetics, and
that the race they choose to identify with is more related to mindset
and socioeconomics rather than physical appearance.
For example, U.S. born Hispanics were more likely to consider
themselves white than foreign born Hispanics, with the exception of
Cubans. More third generation Hispanics consider themselves white than
those of the second generation. U.S. citizens are more likely to call
themselves white than non-U.S. citizens from the same country of
origin. In fact, "white" Hispanics are more likely to be better
educated, make more money, speak more English and experience less
discrimination.
Says the Pew Center's director, Roberto Suro, "There is a consistent
pattern that those who identify themselves as white are better off and
more incorporated into society. Part of this may be the fact that those
whose skin color is darker have a different experience."
To quote the Pew Center's executive summary, "In the commonplace view,
Latinos are an additional 'group' that has been added to the American
mix of white, black, Asian, etc. The temptation is to racialize this
population, to make it fit in the traditional American social paradigm,
which assigns people to race or race-like categories. But the growing
Hispanic population may compel a reassessment of the common view of a
race or ethnic group."
Clearly the category of Hispanic as a racial categorization makes
little sense. A moment ago, I did my own market research experiment
with a sample of one, and showed a facsimile of a 2000 census form to
our Chief Operating Officer, Julio Arreaga. I asked Julio, an
Ecuadorian who immigrated to the United States at the age of eight, to
tell me his race. "I'm moreno," he said, using the Spanish word for
dark brown to describe himself. "I'm none of these races. They make no
sense for someone like me."
Source: RetailWire
