IslandMix - Soca, Reggae, Zouk and Caribbean Entertainment

hello all - question...
when u describe yourselves to ppl, say on applications or other, which box do you check? i realize some applications don't have boxes for all races and nationalities but do you mark the box 'other', leave it blank or what?
someone asked me one day what i consider my boyfriend who is dougla (born in tnt) and i said he's west indian from trinidad. well, the person was accusing me of denying that he is black as well. i said no, i consider him west indian. if i were describing him, i'd say he comes from black, spanish and indian descent.
ur thoughts pls...

Unless it's of extreme importance....official business....check other....

otherwise, it's optional and for statistical purposes.... so I wouldn't check anything....

I put other b/c its all about quota's in this country..

i doesn't check anything, because just imagine, i is ah dougla right, what am i supposed to check

If you are mixed, probably best to tick "other" if you believe there is not a suitable box for you. I have lived in countries where you can do yourself out of a job or whatever by not ticking a box or the right box, because they needed to fill their quota for Political correctness...you know...X amount of Whites, blacks, or others, for the job, prize or whatever the situation might be.

i usually mark african american, but i do not consider myself african american. i am carib indian, indian, and african, so i consider myself a dougla, but on the outside i look like a regular black mail, with straightish wavy haie

okay, u answered my question. maybe i didn't phrase it correctly. that's what i wanted to know - if ppl consider themselves african american if your skin is darker or if you're carib indian do you mark white - i know some indian ppl from india that mark white. i don't understand that at all.

Yes spicy dimples, I just discovered by reading an Indian article that alot of Indians have a serious complex about race and skin tones etc... And just like in some other races associate fair skin with ulimate beauty. Apparently in a particular language in India the definition in older days of "fairness" was beauty......Rather interesting.

if there isn't a box that says "Jamaican", i'm checking other because i can't consider myself "American". but then again, i am a legal American citizen...so i just all confused

funny thing is that on the social sercurity paper thing it says" you can not chose 2" and there's no other but its in favor for the hispanic people ...when hispanic is not a race but a classification of all the spanish ethnicites in one ...i my self am Jamaican of european ,african and east indian ancestory.,, but in jamaica east indians are considered black so i refer myself as a Mulatto in some cases meaning black and white..but it seems in cases in where u have to chose one the USA basically wants you to chose which side over that other which is not fair.. but here's some adive for my caribbean people..if u don't want to check african-american just make ur own column lol dats what i always do to let them know my people too exist

K I am just glad that someone has choose to post on this topic.

For Years now living in America I am so tired of being asked 2 check a box as to characterized my race. What am I suppose to do when there is not a box for me to check! I so hate that , then we are forced to check other if it is even on the list.

For example, when I became an American Citizen on the paper it said check you race......I was there debating on which box to check I said to one of the ladies who worked there what am I suppose to check none of these races applies to me......her answer was "just choose one ,you have to check one", and i don't remember seeing a box marked other!
Because I have brown skin she was like your Indian so then check Asian I was like what the heck ,...no i did not just hear what i thought i heard!!.
This happens in a country that is considered the "melting pot" go figure eh!

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I get what all you are sayin'. In america most of those fill in the cirlce things have african-american/black. If you are a black west indians then it is right for you to check the african-american/black because you maynot be african-american, but you ARE BLACK.

For the dougla question. I don't know which ever you feel comfortable checking. If you consider yourself black but you are both then check black. If you can't decide then check other.

My mom born in Nevis checks african-american/black because her race is black. I do the same. and so do the rest of my fam.

but i do understand what all of you are sayin'!:)

I myself usually check other, if there is not an other I check black. I saw a few with Caribbean on them.

I think it depends on what question is asked. I'm never asked about my nationality because soon as I open my mouth to speak it's obvious. Yankee. If I'm asked about my race, I no longer have a problem with African American. Both my mother and father have Indian (Native American) parents. I don't feel the need to mark other. In this country it's important for people of African descent to be counted. I think that's what everyone should keep in mind when filling out an application or taking a census count.

Slim