HOW TO ANSWER RACE QUESTION WHEN CLIENT IDENTIFIES AS “HISPANIC” BUT NOT A RACE

This question was submitted to HUD (Housing & Urban Development) via their Ask A Question (AAQ). Their response was as follows:

This is an example of how academic terminology does not always line up with how people actually talk or identify. This question can be especially confusing because people of Latin American descent would say their race is Hispanic, for example, and would not be referred to in casual conversation or seen in their communities as White. Unless the person is from an original peoples group that is indigenous or American Indian their ancestors came to South America, Central America, North America, Cuba, or Puerto Rico from another part of the world like Africa or Europe, causing them to be included in one of the racial categories listed.

By the time the Ethnicity question is asked, it is likely that the client provided an answer to race, and they might have responded with something like Hispanic, Guatemalan, or Latino. To help ascertain the best response for Race, you could say: Great, I will say that you are Hispanic. Do you know if your ancestors were originally from a country like Spain, somewhere in Africa, or are you part of an indigenous group? to guide the individual to a response to the Race question. However, if the person refuses to disclose his or her race based on the categories provided (or doesn't know), you should use Client refused (or Client doesn't know) rather than make an assumption.