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[newbie]

A friend of mine has a mother who is Hispanic. He's applying for jobs, and he's trying to figure out how to disclose in his job applications that piece of information. His appearance does not suggest that he is a member of any ethnic or racial minority, and he was not a member of any minority clubs in high school or college.

Should he get someone writing a letter of recommendation for him to disclose that he is a minority?

I've heard the response that in this job market, people should do anything they can to get ahead, and if they are a member of a minority group, even if they don't typically identify themselves that way, they should use that information in their applications.

[smart_e_pantz]

A friend of mine has a mother who is Hispanic. He's applying for jobs, and he's trying to figure out how to disclose in his job applications that piece of information. His appearance does not suggest that he is a member of any ethnic or racial minority, and he was not a member of any minority clubs in high school or college.

Should he get someone writing a letter of recommendation for him to disclose that he is a minority?

I've heard the response that in this job market, people should do anything they can to get ahead, and if they are a member of a minority group, even if they don't typically identify themselves that way, they should use that information in their applications.

This could be tricky for him.  It would be fatal if it appears he is only claiming his ethnicity to get a leg up in the job market.  Employers will see right through that; and, if there are other minorities in the department, they will KO his application before he gets a foot in the door.  Also, part of the reason for the diversity hires is that they are often called on to be mentors to minority students.  Someone with no previous affiliation/experience/concern with minority issues will raise red flags in the process on whether or not they would be willing to serve in those capacities.

He should probably ask a faculty member who he knows he can trust about this because they will have a better handle on the pitfalls of doing this.

I should add that if I were on a search committee, his folder would go right into my mental round file.  As an African-American I cannot turn my blackness off and on like a faucet.  I'd be pissed if someone did this just to get an advantage on the job market particularly since as someone who has functioned as white male his entire life he has not likely experienced the disadvantages of living as a Hispanic person.

[polly_mer]

I would recommend against waving the minority flag in this case.  I agree with smart_e_pantz that unless he has been active in the Hispanic field X association or related organizations, he should forego the temptation.  It will annoy both the people who are against the box checking diversity and the people who want an active member of a minority group to mentor students.  I don't see any winning in this situation.

[petedondriac]

2 parents, 4 grand-, 8, great-, 16, 32. If we go back far enough, most of us could claim "minority" status. Who far back are we allowed to go? I actually wrote that once on one of those "self-identification" forms. I did not get the job.

[dr_mcmom]

I would recommend against waving the minority flag in this case.  I agree with smart_e_pantz that unless he has been active in the Hispanic field X association or related organizations, he should forego the temptation.  It will annoy both the people who are against the box checking diversity and the people who want an active member of a minority group to mentor students.  I don't see any winning in this situation.

...and its folks who do crap like this who fuel the argument against expending efforts to expand diversity of an institution. 

It is misrepresentation of oneself - fraud.

It pisses me off!

[prytania3]

It's nice to know that Hispanics are supposed to *look* a certain way.

[theseaturtle]

Hello Forumites-

Not to hijack this thread, but I think it is interesting how we classify ethnicity (I hate the term "minority') this day in age.  Why it is that certain groups, especially Native Americans and Alaskan Natives, need to have a tribal affiliation to check the "box" on federal and state applications?  Those of Hispanic or African origin do not need to have a tribal affiliation.  Why the difference?

Although I am a descendant of the Blackfoot Nation, I am not affiliated with a specific tribe or group.  However, I am very proud of my Native American roots and work tirelessly to reach out to all ethnicities (not just Native Americans) through my work.  Despite this, I almost never check the "box" when it comes to filling out applications because of the fact that I do not meet the federal governments "definition." 

Unfortunately, the truth is that minority status does matter when it comes to the job search.  In full disclosure, I have never disclosed my ethnicity on a job application prior to receiving a job for two reasons:

1.  I don't meet the federal "guidelines."  This doesn't mean that I never disclose my ethnicity to my employers, I just do so after I have received the job.

2.  I don't want to be the "diversity" hire.  I want to receive a job because I am the best candidate, not because I am a "minority" and fill a diversity gap. 

It is a catch-22.  You want to be proud of who you are, but you dont want to be selected for or against based on your ethnicity.

Case in point:  One time I was an internal candidate for a tenure track position at a small college and I did not get the job.  When speaking with the HOD and head of the SC in his/her office well after I had accepted a position at another institution, I noticed a painting of a young native woman on the wall and asked him/her if he/she was a Native American.  Somehow we got around to my background and he/she said that it would have been nice to know that during the hiring process (I was on the short list). 

-Turtle

[sockgumbee]

The Sea Turtle,

To answer your first question: because traditional and even many nontraditional Indians define themselves by tribe. There are quite a few Native groups that are not federally recognized--is that the federal definition you mean? Or do you mean that you are not enrolled?

While it's great/good/admirable that you "reach out to all ethnicities" I'm not sure how that relates to being Native, or for that matter working with Native people.

I'm not sure why you and others have issues with being a "minority hire". I don't know of anyone of color who was hired solely based on their ethnicity. Their ethnicity may have been a factor in a dept wanting them--but it was their good hard work that was the main attraction. If you were short listed somewhere and got a job somewhere else then obviously you had a lot to offer.

There are some of us that have gotten jobs (not only in academia) in spite of our ethnicity. As I have mentioned people have hired me based on my abilities.

But one other point--having ancestors that were Blackfeet or whatever is really not the same as living and working and being part of an Indian community--whether urban or rural, on rez or off. To use the term 'affiliation' kinda shows that you don't quite understand what being enrolled is. It also seems like you are using the federal government's definition of Indian rather than an Indian definition of Indian to talk about who you are.

In any case based on what you wrote here, if you told me you were Blackfeet I would want to know how/where/which Indians you were hanging out with/working with now. Cuz lots of people have Indian heritage without any cultural or social ties to Indians. Just like the OP, if you have little to nothing to do with your people, then I would not say you were Indian is the sense I know.

[polly_mer]

Sockgumbee makes some good points.  The purpose of a diversity hire should be to get a qualified person who has some valuable  experiences that are different from the majority.  It should be applied in the final cut so that people are choosing between X, who has an additional speciality in a new subfield, Y, who holds a few national positions in relevant associations, and  Z, who is an active member in an underrepresented group that has students who could use a visible mentor.

That's why most of us don't see the necessity for African Americans or Hispanics to mark a tribe; they don't necessarily have a formal tribe, but, as a successful diversity hire, they will have strong ties to a specific community.  Skin tone and ancestry is not the point; it's the experiences of living in a particular community that contribute to diversity.  I don't know what it means to identify as a Native person without a specific tribe.

Doing outreach to everyone is good and you should talk about that work, but one need not be a member of any specific group to work on diversity issues.

To me, checking the box means that one is a proud member of a specific group and wants to be active in the local community for that group.  Checking the box because you want the possible goodies associated with it does make me echo Drjomc's cry of "Fraud!"

[pandora]

I think it might be valuable to challenge the assumption that everyone in academia holds a similarly positive view of diversity, especially in hiring.  Expressing open bigotry is virtually unheard of, but this doesn't mean that prejudicial or more broadly elitist attitudes and behaviors aren't still very influential at some schools. 

What this means for the OP's friend is that waving that flag might, for some hiring committees, be a liability.  We rather blithely assume that all search committees would be delighted to hire someone from an underrepresented group.  That simply isn't the case.   There are plenty of myths / prejudices specifically about minorities in academia, including the most aggravatingly ironic one that a hiring committee shouldn't bother considering Minority Candidate X because s/he's too competitive and wouldn't want to be in our department.

I have encountered / witnessed quite a lot of behavior that clearly reflects -- if not clear stark racial prejudice -- at least discomfort, ignorance or skepticism towards people of color on the faculty, including me (if that helps to clarify where I'm coming from).  The ones I find particularly galling are those faculty members who love to get up on the soapbox about all the great lefty issues, including racial diversity, and yet who have made no efforts to bring any diverse faculty into their own departments.
 
Lots of other good comments here about why disclosing or identifying in this specific way as a racial minority is inadvisable.   

[bewildered]

It would be fatal if it appears he is only claiming his ethnicity to get a leg up in the job market. 

I'm all for doing whatever we can to reduce fatalities in the job-search process.

[minnesotan]

It would be fatal if it appears he is only claiming his ethnicity to get a leg up in the job market. 

I'm all for doing whatever we can to reduce fatalities in the job-search process.

I'm hoping to increase them, as I'll need a job soon.  More fatalities means more openings.

Back to laying out banana peels...

[larryc]

Newbie, what does it mean to your friend to be Hispanic? Did he grow up speaking Spanish? Does he have a connection to his mother's culture and part of the world? If so, the way to tip the SC is in a reference letter. "As someone who grew up bilingual and has a continuing connection to his maternal roots in Guatemala, X will serve as a fine mentor and role model to a diverse set of students..."

But if there is no real connection, just genealogy, leave it off.

[newbie]

My friend grew up bilingual, with English being his primary language, but speaking Spanish some with his mom and his housekeeper. His dad was relatively well off, so they were able to travel to visit his relatives in another country once every year or two. Beyond that, as far as he says, there was not much connection to being Hispanic in daily life.

The purpose of a diversity hire should be to get a qualified person who has some valuable experiences that are different from the majority.

That is an interesting point.

I'm curious: does hiring someone whose parents never went to college count as a diversity hire? That person is probably a minority in terms of getting a Ph.D., and those experiences growing up might be useful to other students whose parents never went to college.

[pandora]

My friend grew up bilingual, with English being his primary language, but speaking Spanish some with his mom and his housekeeper. His dad was relatively well off, so they were able to travel to visit his relatives in another country once every year or two. Beyond that, as far as he says, there was not much connection to being Hispanic in daily life.

I think it might be helpful for your friend to rethink how he wants these experiences to "count."  As people have explained above, if he doesn't teach/study Latino culture and has not participated actively in campus organizations about multiculturalism, offering this information during the hiring process is probably not appropriate.  He doesn't have to hide that information as the search progresses, but presenting it up front as though it should be considered important to the SC could backfire.

However, wherever he may land his first job, he can certainly decide to make these aspects of his background "count" in his work as a teacher and mentor.  There is a significant gender gap among minority students in higher ed -- and I think that old-fashioned idea about "role models" is still very powerful for these students.  I realize that may sound contradictory in relation to what I'm saying above:  just remember that SC members simply may not have those priorities in mind during the search process.