My enthusiasm came to a pause, however, when I faced the "Ethnic Code" question, along with 6 simplistic choices:
- Asian or Pacific Islander
- Black, not of Hispanic origin
- American Indian or Alaska Native
- White, not of Hispanic origin
- Hispanic
- Other
The directions say "Check One."
Seriously? I have to sum up my daughter with only one ethnic identity? Looking at her, she appears Black. (She'll tell you that she has brown skin like her daddy). But she's being raised almost entirely by her white mother. I desperately want to check both boxes - her two cultures are a critical part of who she is. Choosing one feels like a denial of the other.
I'm sure this is just a simple formality for schools to report as a part of funding and statistics, but it feels like a really big deal to me.
