“White Hispanic.” I almost choked on my plate of nachos when I heard that one. “White Hispanic” sounds eerily like the turn—of—the—last—century, Jim Crow-era definitions of race, which were so arbitrary they are almost laughable in the age of DNA testing to determine genealogical lines. There is nothing scientific about calling someone a “White Hispanic,” yet it has been the label du jour for the media in describing George Zimmerman, the man recently exonerated for killing Trayvon Martin.
Why was Zimmerman being labeled a “White Hispanic?” From day one, the mainstream media had rabid desire to attach “White” to his heritage, as if being “White” triggered the instinct to kill a black teen—and we wouldn’t want to suggest that any ethnic group is predisposed to particular behaviors, now would we? Merely being Hispanic did not fit the narrative. There had to be more to Zimmerman’s makeup which compelled him to kill Trayvon Martin. The easy, surface-level answer was that Zimmerman “looked white,” and was therefore “White.” I thought he looked more like a Starbucks caffé latte sans sprinkles, but I digress. Subsequent reports clarified his mixed ancestry, and he morphed into a “White Hispanic.”
I’ve never met a Hispanic person that defined him or herself as being a “White” or “Black” Hispanic. They tend to call themselves Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, etc. My nephew, whose mom (my sister) is “White” by way of a primarily German ancestry, and whose dad is Puerto Rican, might be considered a “White Hispanic” too, unless it turns out that his dad has black ancestry in his Puerto Rican makeup. Then my nephew would become a “White—Black—Hispanic—American.” Try saying that three times fast.
I used to mentor a young lady who is Puerto Rican as well. Is she “White Hispanic?” She has very light skin; she is as white as me, and believe you me, I’m no “White Hispanic;” I’m just plain old white, with a small ‘w.’ Her mom and younger sister are considerably darker than she is. Are the dark—skinned family members “Black Hispanic?” Come to think about it, George Zimmerman’s skin color looks somewhere in between my little friends’ color and her families’ color. So is Zimmerman a “White—Black—Hispanic—American” too? Do we have it figured out yet? Can I finish my nachos?
Hispanics are a multi-racial, multi-ethnic group of people. The term “Hispanic” is a generic term from the 1970s, which is used to describe persons now in the U.S. whose origins were from Spanish-speaking countries in Central and South America, and the Caribbean. For many Hispanics, “White”—namely Spanish/European ancestry—may already be a significant part of their ethnic makeup. Except for those that have a lot of Moorish ancestry; they may or may not be “White,” depending on how you view the ancient Moors. In race politics, opinion and feelings are what count.
This would probably exclude the Brazilians, as they are Portuguese. Then again, Portugal is a part of the Iberian peninsula, so maybe they count as Hispanic too? Wait, wait, wait, I know for certain we can exclude the Basques from being Hispanic; they are Celtic, like the Irish, but without the red hair and freckles. Come to think about it, Peruvians have a lot of Japanese and Chinese ancestry. If we’re spinning the ethnic color wheel and defining Hispanics as being “White” or “Black,” would Peruvians be “Yellow” Hispanics? Zimmerman’s mother was from Peru; is he actually a “White Yellow Hispanic?” Is that going to be considered racist? Should we just ignore the Peruvians?
Some Americans felt Bill Clinton was our first black president, even though genetically, he has no African ancestry. Then poof! Obama is elected, and Clinton was no longer black. Oh, except that until Obama actually won, some black leaders didn’t consider him to be “black enough.” After winning, he became our first “Black president,” when in fact he is our first biracial president, which would make him “White Black,” or is he a “Black White?”
The deeper answer as to why George Zimmerman was labeled as “White Hispanic,” is simple. There are people in this country—the mainstream media, the left-leaning politicians, the Jesse Jacksons—that are invested in the politics of race and make their determinations of the outcome of any situation based upon what they need that person to be, not who they are or what they actually did. Regardless of Zimmerman’s guilt, they needed him to be a pre-defined caricature. It fits their agenda that white people need to pay for past transgressions, which, given the socialist-leanings of the race hustlers, regarding people as members of groups versus individuals is par for the course. There is this sense amongst the race hustlers of needing to “even the score.” Well, score one for the race hustlers when O.J. got off for killing a white woman, but they did not win the battle.
Speaking of socialists, the Nazis used to measure the shapes of heads and noses to determine a person’s racial subgroup and assigned racial labels based upon the physical traits. It also should be noted that the Nazis were known for giving people a “pass.” Despite his half “Hispanic” heritage, Zimmerman didn’t qualify for a pass.
It’s a shame Zimmerman was not born with Methemoglobinemia; he would have blue skin.
Jennifer London is a Milwaukee-based writer and works in public relations. Most recently, she is a community columnist for The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
