Latinos Respond to Claims That They’re ‘Declaring Themselves White’

By Jamilah King Jun 18, 2014

Nate Cohn at the New York Times recently made a bold declaration: More Latinos are declaring themselves white. Using census data from 2000 and 2010. Cohn wrote:

Race is an immutable characteristic for many white, black and Asian-Americans. It is less clear for Americans of Hispanic origin. The census form asks two questions about race and ethnicity: one about whether individuals are of Hispanic or Latino origin, and another about race. "Hispanics" do not constitute a race, according to the census, and so 37 percent of Hispanics, presumably dissatisfied with options like "white" or "black," selected "some other race."

But many Latinos are voicing their displeasure with Cohn’s assertion. This week, the hashtag #WhatLatinosLookLike popped up and was filled with images of Latinos who proudly claim their ethnic identities. Zak Cheney-Rice rounded up some of the responses over at PolicyMic, and you can see even more below: