I'm Not Just One Box!

I'm currently unemployed. Not by choice, but also not undeserved. In any event, I'm in the midst of the arduous task of looking for work.

More and more, I'm noticing employers asking for demographic information. Gender and race, specifically.
[]Male
[]Female

[]White/ Caucasian
[]Black/ African-American
[]Hispanic/ Latino
[]Asian
[]Native America
[]Native Alaskan
[]Other

Sometimes, they include parenthetical exceptions to the choices. (Non-Hispanic). Occasionally they break it down further and give Filipinos their own box. Now and again, you'll see extensive descriptions of what qualifies one as Hispanic as opposed to White or Black. I've even seen them describe what defines being White!

Most of the time they call this Voluntary Self-Identification. They tell you about the information being used for demographic purposes. Presumably, they can tell people proudly the percentage of their employees that are Asian. 75% of The Company is female!

Every single one of them tells you to only choose one box.

Yes, I understand I should pick Black, since I look Black, and maybe they'll hire me because they need one more Black woman on staff. I mean, obviously they still believe in the "one drop of Black blood" rule, so I can't really argue against it.

But the White box is right there! According to some of the parentheticals I've read, Italian counts as White. I identify with my mom, too, not just my brown skin. She showed me how to make pasta sauce and polenta. She gave me a love of reading. She taught me to speak Italian, since her whole family still lives in Italy. Because of her, I can talk to my grandmother and sing silly songs about a boy called Piroline. Because of her, I can't dance to save my life.

Why can't I pick both?

Why am I being such a baby about this? Normally, I opt not to take these little quizzes. I don't need to identify myself other than to tell you I type 70 words per minute and am proficient in Microsoft Excel. And I refuse to relocate.

This time around, I am so desperate for income that I considered it. I don't know if I'd feel good knowing I got a job because of my skin color. I certainly don't want to not get a job because of the color of my skin, either. If I can use it to my advantage, why not? Then I can get in there and bust ass to show them I've got more qualifications than my caramelly brown skin. I can be a shining example of Black womanhood, with my tiny afro and elephant earrings. I speak precise English, but I'll still cut you if you cross me. Hire me!

Then I start thinking these people should hire me based solely on the fact that I'm awesome. I've got the skills to make this organization work! I'm a team player. These spectacular qualities are independent of my skin. To be hired for any other reason would be selling myself short, wouldn't it? Hired not because I'm perfect for the job, but because I meet the quota? It doesn't feel right.

These people are lucky the Voluntary Self Identification page doesn't include a free form text box.

I guess I'll click []Other.