but she also said that she identified as Colombian and her first language was Spanish, so that's what seemed like the best choice. (The "white" choice on those forms actually says "white, non-Hispanic.") She got some strange looks when she showed up for the college tours and was met by representatives of the Hispanic student groups -- she's very blond, blue eyes, and incredibly pale.
IMHO, that sort of "identity" is best left to self-definition. My Aunt Elena Mercedes OurSpanishSurname has dark hair and eyes and the distinct jaw and nose of her Grandfather who came from Cuba. But any Spanish she spoke she'd learned in school and my Grandfather's cooking wasn't (other than some seasoning choices) particularly Cuban. She's never identified as Latina at all though it was commonly assumed until she married.
Ah, but how can you resist the flame red when you've already got the green eyes to go with it?
She should have resisted. I have NIGHTMARES about that color. I mean, it was really, really red. Not found in nature red. And we're talking in the 70s, when not found in nature colors were anywhere near the rage.
She also used to mow the front lawn wearing a bikini. And did I mention that we lived RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET from my elementary school?
It's amazing I'm as (relatively) normal as I am.
IMHO, that sort of "identity" is best left to self-definition.
It is. Especially if it's the sort of thing that's shoved down your throat. When I was a kid in Miami, I identified far more as an American girl than a Cuban-American girl. For one thing, the hyphenation as a common form of identification wasn't really in use. You were either Cuban or American. And I was an adolescent at the time of the Mariel boatlift, which caused a lot of heated feelings in South Florida and so if you said you were Cuban, people automatically assumed you were a Marielito. Since I spoke English with no accent, I very firmly responded "American," if I was asked.
As far as I can recall, the usual choices on SAT and college forms were White, non-Hispanic; Black, non-Hispanic; Hispanic; Native American; Native Alaskan; Asian/Pacific Islander; and Other. I can't remember whether Native Hawaiian was a separate category or not, but Native Alaskan definitely was.
Someone tell me that going and playing with the kids is a good idea. It's just so ick out. I feel like getting myself a bowl of ice cream and plopping in front of the tv for the rest of my life.
vw, if those kids get the least little idea that you are sad, they'll clown so hard to cheer you up, or be so sweet it makes your teeth hurt. Go.
GC, what a rough situation.
IIRC, Native Hawaiian is under API.
I can't remember whether Native Hawaiian was a separate category or not
It's usually not. Native Hawaiians are still fighting for the sovereignty that is granted to Native Alaskans and Native Americans.
Okay, question for the hivemind, especially those of the legal and/or librarian like persuasion. What, if any, are the copyright restrictions on old newspaper articles/headlines?
Here's the thing-- the story I'm currently working on is set in 1964-5 and I'm having a devil of a time giving a real sense of the time without using the 2x4 of "OMG, the Beatles, EEEEEEEE!!!" or somesuch. So I thought if I could put a headline or a leadline from an article before every chapter-- or every two or three chapters-- it would be a cool way to alert the reader to not only the time period, but where we are in the story, how much time has elapsed. (It can be a real sticky issue when you're writing in First Person since the narrator isn't necessarily going to be thinking "Wow, three weeks has passed since X happened.")
Anyhow, is that something that would come under public domain after a period of time or if, say, the newspaper is no longer in existence, but I could find a scan on the internet of what a headline from January 1, 1959 would have looked like?
HALP
I think small snippets like that come under "fair use".
You're not reproducing the bulk of a work, you're not portraying it as your own... someone more legal should weigh in to be sure though.
Hi, Bitches. What's the haps?
