my ethnicity

[silviadc]

I'm half African American... but never identified myself as such because of an abusive father.  I've preferred to go with Asian.  Which should I put down for the purposes of law school?  I feel guilty claiming a status i've more or less rejected, but if the ends justify the means....

[allyreese]

did you just post about this?  the south-asian/african american thing?  i don't think it would be unethical at all to list as african american if that's your question.  there are rumblings around the board sometimes about the things that the bar association looks at in your character examination once you've graduated, but your background seems to be interesting enough that you could explain yourself pretty well.

on the other hand, just to be safe you might write an addendum or a diversity statement about your background, don't mention that you've previously identified as south asian, but let them know your heritage isn't 100% african american.

[lex19]

if you only claim asian then that should be the box you check, if anything check other and explain yourself on apps that alow you to and for those that don't write an adendum, but by any means do not check Black/African American just to get URM status especially when you don't identify or claim that part of your background

if you don't feel right about something thenit's probably not a good idea to do it

[dbgirl]

I don't understand rejecting your racial or ethnic background just because you don't like your father.
You're still half black. I don't like my black mother much, but I don't reject the fact that I'm half black.

[lex19]

this is like me saying i'm half black b/c i don't like my father, honestly i think denying what you are and all of a sudden claiming it b/c it's in your favor to do so is bs and very immature

[blk_reign]

didn't she say she was half Egyptian in another thread? http://www.lawschooldiscussion.org/prelaw/index.php/topic,44707.0.html

where does that translate to African American? seems like we're going to this roundabout debate again... but I have to agree with you lex.. if I'm half black or half whatever and I never claimed or associated with it until application time then I'm definitely trying to use something to my advantage because I'm lacking in other ways that matter.. it is very immature... but it's also immature to discredit a part of your heritage because of a bad experience based on a parent... that isn't a reflection on the person's ethnic background...

this is like me saying i'm half black b/c i don't like my father, honestly i think denying what you are and all of a sudden claiming it b/c it's in your favor to do so is bs and very immature

[FossilJ]

Look, when you're abused as a child, your reactions tend to be unreasonable. 

It is not only normal, but common for children to react the way the OP did.  It is not a reflection on the culture, it's a reflection on the person and everything associated with that person (the abuser, that is).

Also, last time I checked, Egypt is in Africa. 

[FossilJ]

No it's not, they moved to a more temperate climate. 

I guess I stand corrected.   

[lex19]

still bs, the fact of the matter is if you don't claim something you shouldn't start all of a sudden b/c it gives you a boost, there's a box for being asian too.....like i said before i think the op should check other and write an addendum

[Lawprofessor]

It seems to me that while legally the OP can claim anything that she is ethnically, morally it is shady to say your entire life you have chosen not to claim that part of your ethnicity and then decide that it will assist you so you decide to claim it.  How far does this go?  Can I claim that I am part Native American because my great great great great-grandfather was Native American?  How about the fact that my great great great grandmother is part Asian, does that mean that I can claim Asian?  I think there is something to be said for consistancy.  If you have been claiming a particular ethnicity your entire life, why claim a different one now?