Haitian is considered Hispanic?! Which box to check?

[DoctorDrewOutsidetheLines]

Dad was light-skinned mulatto French Creole Haitian immigrant.

Mom was AA. I was born in the US.

Haitians speak French! But I just learned that Haitians are considered Hispanic. To me that makes absolutely no sense.

So do I check both boxes, Black and Latino?! Does that mean I qualify for Hispanic scholarships too?

I don't feel comfortable w/ that...Sure I have curly hair but I do not look stereotypically Latino or stereotypically AA...but I speak French fluently and Spanish not so well.

Is this true or did I get my sources wrong? Are Haitians considered Latino/Hispanic by the admission powers that be?

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[dreamadream]

Leave it to the gods to answer this

 

[DoctorDrewOutsidetheLines]

Ask my Haitian lwas, good call!

 

[takeurmeds02]

Wasn't Haiti colonized by the french? =? If anything, yall have some Latin flavor but don't know if yall would be considered Latin or hispanic for that matter.

 

[DoctorDrewOutsidetheLines]

Idk but I will be taking Haitian Kreyol classes from the University of Chicago department of Latin American Studies. And execrpted from Wikipedia:

"In the midst of the French Revolution, slaves and free people of colour revolted, culminating in the abolishment of slavery and the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte's army at the Battle of Vertières established the sovereign "Republic of Haiti" on January 1, 1804 — the first independent nation of Latin America and the Caribbean, the second republic in the Americas, the only nation in the western hemisphere to have defeated three European superpowers (Britain, France and Spain), and the only nation in the world established as a result of a successful slave revolt.[18][19] The rebellion that begun in 1791, was led by a former slave and the first black general of the French Army, Toussaint Louverture, whose military genius and political acumen transformed an entire society of slaves into the independent country. Upon his death in a prison in France, he was succeeded by his lieutenant, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, who declared Haiti's sovereignty and later became the first emperor of Haiti, Jacques I.[20][21][22][23] The Haitian Revolution lasted nearly a decade; and apart from Alexandre Pétion, the first President of the Republic, all the first leaders of government were former slaves.[24] The Citadelle Laferrière is the largest fortress in the Americas. Henri Christophe—former slave and first king of Haiti, Henri I—built it to withstand a possible foreign attack.[25][26]

In addition to CARICOM, Haiti is a member of the Latin Union, the Organization of American States, and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States; it is also seeking associate membership status in the African Union.[27]

Seems pretty Latin.

Just like Brazil and Cuban are pretty African too.

 

[AlphaBeta<3]

Lol no you're not hispanic. Don't put that. If anything just check the box that says AA/Caribbean. I could see you questioning if your dad was black but was born in DR, but he's from Haiti and your mother is AA

 

[FrenchyM.D/D.O]

Comment vas-tu? J'allais ecrire un paragraphe en francais puisque tu as dit que tu parles francais mais ca n'aurait pas etait sympa pour les autres. Haitians are definitely not considered Hispanic. Not when it comes to applying to med/dental school and not in real life either. You need to check the "Black" box. Furtermore, Haiti was colonized by France until 1804. In Haiti, the first spoken language is Kreyol but 5% of the population does speak French. (Those who were able to attend private schools). Is Kreyol a Latin based language? Yes!! Absolutely since it is derived of the French language and African languages . Are Haitians considered to be Latinos? NO!! In Haiti,the majority of the population does not speak Spanish unlike its other half, the Dominican republic where 100% of the population speaks Spanish (BTW, the DR was also colonized by Haiti for a little while before Rafael took power in 1931.) I majored in Caribbean studies and French Literature.
It can be confusing because Haiti AKA La perle des Antilles has such a rich history. Took me 4 years of research and reading to understand it all. I even went to Haiti to do research in Fonds des Negres. To sum it all up, Haitians are Black. Columbus did not discover anything. He had an encounter with people who had been living there for centuries. These people were Arawak/Tainos ( Phenotypically speaking, they looked like Indians). They were turned into slaves to cultivate the sugar cane, and other crops. Most Arawak/Tainos died as a result of the harsh conditions in which they were forced to live in. However, the Spaniards/Britain and France had to continue making money and so they decided to go to Africa. There, they forced Africans to go work in the Greater Antilles. (Specifically Ghana and Nigeria) because Ghana and Nigeria were closer in terms of distance but also because Nigerians and Ghanians were more robust. (One must remember that owning a slave back then was an investment so the more fit, the better). It has been established by historians, scientists and anthropologists that most Haitians are closely related to Ghanians and Nigerians. How did they figure it out? They studied the language, the roots of words, the religion (Voodoo started in Ghana), the phenotypic traits, the food and the list goes on and on.
All that to say that Haitians are more related to Africans than they are related to anyone else. I wasn't talking about slavery in the United States BTW. Americans thought that emulating the behavior of the Europeans was the only way to compete economically speaking and the rest is "history".

 

[DoctorDrewOutsidetheLines]

I'm going go with yes, I am Latino and Black. Sorry @FrenchyM.D/D.O don't mean to negate your experience, but the University of Chicago says we are and so do many other highly regarded institutions. I am checking as many boxes as possible - and if Bruce Jenner can be named "Woman of the Year" I can definitely check whatever boxes I identify with, especially since they do apply to me. I highly doubt someone on an admissions committee is going to argue my heritage with me and try to tell me what I'm not. If anything I get people all the time trying to tell me what I am - it pisses me off.

The other day I was taking a patient to a nursing facility and this [White] woman goes "Excuse me, excuse me" and here I am, hands full of stretcher, thinking she needs CPR or emergency help - but no, the emergency was she was super curious about my ethnicity and whether I was mixed with Indian (I look East Indian) and Black. It doesn't bother me so much when Indians ask what part of India I hail from, but yeah...I shall mark the boxes I feel comfortable identifying with.

http://mic.com/articles/111648/9-things-latinos-are-tired-of-explaining-to-everyone-else#.fV9bmhWDp

Excerpt:

"What's more, not all Latinos come from Spanish-speaking countries or communities. Brazilians, for example, speak Portuguese, while Haitians (yes, Haiti is a Latin American country) speak Haitian Creole. Then there are those who come from the hundreds of indigenous groups across Latin America and the Caribbean, bringing with them their own native languages.

Equally important: Most of us don't actually speak Latin."

 

[DoctorDrewOutsidetheLines]

@FrenchyM.D/D.O Et je voulais vous dire, c'est pas très gentile de parler dans une autre langue devant la public. Vous pouvez m'ecrire un petit mot quand même.

 

[FrenchyM.D/D.O]

I'm going go with yes, I am Latino and Black. Sorry @FrenchyM.D/D.O don't mean to negate your experience, but the University of Chicago says we are and so do many other highly regarded institutions. I am checking as many boxes as possible - and if Bruce Jenner can be named "Woman of the Year" I can definitely check whatever boxes I identify with, especially since they do apply to me. I highly doubt someone on an admissions committee is going to argue my heritage with me and try to tell me what I'm not. If anything I get people all the time trying to tell me what I am - it pisses me off. The other day I was taking a patient to a nursing facility and this [White] woman goes "Excuse me, excuse me" and here I am, hands full with a stretcher, thinking she needs CPR or emergency help - no she was super curious about whether I was mixed with Indian (I look East Indian) and Black. It doesn't bother me so much when Indians ask what part of India I hail from, but yeah...I shall mark the boxes I feel comfortable identifying with.

http://mic.com/articles/111648/9-things-latinos-are-tired-of-explaining-to-everyone-else#.fV9bmhWDp

Excerpt:

"What's more, not all Latinos come from Spanish-speaking countries or communities. Brazilians, for example, speak Portuguese, while Haitians (yes, Haiti is a Latin American country) speak Haitian Creole. Then there are those who come from the hundreds of indigenous groups across Latin America and the Caribbean, bringing with them their own native languages.

Equally important: Most of us don't actually speak Latin."

Of course, if you are mixed, you qualify as both. I like the Jenner analogy. I like you!! Never too old to learn something though. Thanks for sharing! And best avatar I've seen so far.

 

[FrenchyM.D/D.O]

@FrenchyM.D/D.O Et je voulais vous dire, c'est pas très gentile de parler dans une autre langue devant la public. Vous pouvez m'ecrire un petit mot quand même.

Hahaha!! Tu peux me tutoyer si tu veux. Comment vas-tu? T'écrire un petit mot. Tu sais, je suis tellement timide!! Bah en fait, je suis née en France et j'y ait vécu jusqu'à l'âge de 22 ans. Mon père vient d'Haiti et ma mère vient de la Martinique et ça donne la photo que tu vois sur mon avatar. En ce moment, j'habite a Boston. Ma femme vient du sud des Etats-Unis et pour les gosses, on compte attendre encore un peu. Et toi?

 

[DoctorDrewOutsidetheLines]

Moi, je suis nee a Chicago et je vivait a Los Angeles pour quinze années, mais je voyagais partout le monde. J'ai pas un mari ni un copain, ni les parents, les freres ou les soeurs. Je suis une fille unique. Je suis toute seul sauf mes grands-parents qui j'aime beaucoup et mon chat qui m'aime seulement parce que je lui donne beaucoup des cadeaux. Je n'ai pas des enfants mais je pense que je n'aurai pas le temps pour étudier et créer une famille mais qui sait? Ca peut changer...De quelle partie de la France d'ou viens-tu?

 

[FrenchyM.D/D.O]

Moi, je suis nee a Chicago et je vivait a Los Angeles pour quinze années, mais je voyagais partout le monde. J'ai pas un mari ni un copain, ni les parents, les freres ou les soeurs. Je suis une fille unique. Je suis toute seul sauf mes grands-parents qui j'aime beaucoup et mon chat qui m'aime seulement parce que je lui donne beaucoup des cadeaux. Je n'ai pas des enfants mais je pense que je n'aurai pas le temps pour étudier et créer une famille mais qui sait? Ca peut changer...De quelle partie de la France d'ou viens-tu?

Ah d'accord, je vois . Je viens d'une petite ville situé en banlieue Parisienne qui s'appelle St Brice Sous Foret.Tu preferes Chicago ou L.A? J'ai toujours été un fan des Los Angeles Lakers!!

 

[DoctorDrewOutsidetheLines]

Los Angeles bien sur! La vie is très different ici a Chicago dans plusieurs façons. Tous mes amis sont la aussi et le temps fait toujours beau. Brrr, il fait froid ici maintenant! J'aime beaucoup Paris, il y avait...plus de dix ans depuis j'ai été la. Merci encore! Il faut pratique mon français surtout pour écrire sauf je perds la langue j'adore (mon chat ne parle pas francais).