Now see that’s interesting. I’ve wondered what to put for that too being 1/4 Alaskan Native, 1/4 Argentinian, and various kinds of white and a little Shawnee.
I usually just either skipped that part, or checked both mixed races boxes. Now I know the ‘right’ answer. Thanks 
Why does your parents’ birthplace have anything to do with race? There are people of all ethnicities who are born in both Cuba and the U.S.
Race is not the same thing as ethnicity. As far as ethnicity goes, I’d describe a person born in Cuba as a Cuban, and a person born in the U.S. as an American.
Funny, my husband has pretty much the same background as you…father born in Cuba, mother in the US. From looking at him, he’s the whitest white boy you’ll ever see, but he considers himself white and Hispanic. I would say that he doesn’t consider himself to be two races, though, because “Hispanic” is not a race.
I design questionnaires for a living, and while the way the census asks the question is the proper way if you want to get any kind of an accurate answer (ask race first, then ask about Hispanic ethinicity), I find that the vast majority of questionnaires and job applications do not break it out that way. To my mind, if they ask in the usual way (are you white, black, hispanic, or some other race?), you should put down whichever one you feel like at the moment. If they don’t get an accurate answer, too bad…they are the ones who didn’t design the question to reflect reality!
[You are a strong, proud, black man!](A Strong Proud Black Man!)
¨Hispanic¨is not a category of race but of ethnicity. A hispanic person can be of any race.
The most relevant definition for a job application is that of the US Office of Management and Budget
Without knowing more about your situation, or that of your father, it is difficult to decide if this applies to you. If your father is culturally Cuban, and you also identify with that culture at least somewhat, then I think you could legitimately consider yourself to be Hispanic. Often anyone with a Hispanic name is de facto considered to be Hispanic.
If your father was Turkish, and just happened to be born in Cuba, and has not passed any Cuban culture on to you, then you might not be Hispanic.
In any case, being Hispanic does not preclude you from also being white.
Oy! Classifications by ‘race’ are poorly defined anachronisms. Now, if you want to talk about geno-ethnic or linguistic heritage that’s a different story; we can readily define population groups by specific genetic traits and ethnic language family. But calling someone with dark skin “black” whether they come from Sudan, South Africa, or Australia belies a complete ignorance of genetic or cultural heritage.
Am I the only one curious about what kind of job application requests the o.p.'s race or ethnicity? That (along with marital status/sexual orientation and age) are things that we are expressly forbidden to ask in an interview and/or make any hiring decision regarding such if the candidate elects to extend this information.
Stranger
It’s usually there for EEOC statistics. If a lawsuit happens, the employer has to be able to prove that they didn’t turn down every [offended minority] applicant.
I know what you mean, but actually, U.S. usage is closer to the textbook definition of “ethnicity” (cultural group) than “race” (biological group). And you’ve sort of mixed it up by throwing in nationality, which is often something else entirely. (A white man from the U.K. might be English, but he also might be Irish or Scottish or Welsh, etc.) “Macro-ethnicity” might be closer: it’s not that employers and government necessarily think Hungarians and Swedes are the same, any more than they think Koreans and Thais are the same, but it’s easier to lump people together in large groups. Besides, racists tend to go by what you look like, rather than what your cultural heritage actually is.
I always check “white,” because I know that’s what they mean. I refuse, however, to check “Caucasian,” since that’s an inaccuracy based on bad racist science of the past. I always debate checking “Latino”: if Italian-Americans aren’t Latino, who is?
FYI, here is a related column by Cecil Adams.
Yes, I forgot to mention this. It very clearly stated that such information would be kept in a separate location from my application and a bunch of other legalese stating it was for the EEO statistics. Now, does this mean someone reading my application won’t know what I entered for the race field? Part of the reason I’ve always answered “White” is because I look more white and less Hispanic and I never wanted to show up for an interview and have the interviewer think I somehow misled them.
And I’m not sure if all the comments thus far made my race more clearer or cloudier. Ultimately I think it’s a shitty question since your family’s lineage isn’t always readily available information, especially for something as mundane as a job application. But I am glad it’s not as clear cut as I thought it should be and that much of my confusion has apparently been justified. 
What do you think a ¨Hispanic¨looks like? While here in Panama, as in much of Latin America, the majority of people are mestizo and look like a blend of Indian and European, there are plenty who look pure European, African, Indian, and Chinese. All are considered equally ¨Panamanian,¨whether their name is Chavez, Chapman, or Chang. They are all hispanic/latino. Most Argentinians are mainly of European ancestry (it´s actually one of the ¨whitest¨ countries I´ve ever been to, including some in Europe) and they are certainly hispanic.
Because so many of the latinos in the US are of Mexican ancestry, and many Mexicans are mestizo, there does exist a stereotype that latinos/hispanics have brown skin, straight black hair, etc. This is very far from the truth.
'Course, nobody has actually been prosecuted for violating Section 221 since about 1968. There is also a specific exemption for refusing to answer the question about membership in religious groups.
FTR, I check all the race boxes when filling out the Census or any other questionnaire that asks my race. Because, you know, on a long enough timeline, I’m right.
No, you’re not. I think (without being in HR (thankfully)) it is flat out illegal to ask such a question in this country.
Seconded. If you grew up in a Hispanic household, if that was your culture, if you identify with them, it doesn’t matter one bit the color of your skin.
Now, if you grew up without knowing about it, without talking about it, if you grew up more mainstream than anything else, then yea, you’d be right to put down “white”.
Replies a pale as a ghost Puerto Rican
I can’t recall if I’ve ever been asked for my race on a job application specifically, but when faced with this on any form I simply skip it entirely. Nobody has ever come back to say, “Hey, you forgot to tell us something we had no business asking in the first place!”
Along the same lines…
Probably 15 years ago now, my late grandfather was delighted to tell my red-haired, blue-eyed, milk pale mother that her state of birth (Massachusetts) did not consider her “white” as of then. Why? Because she’s half Portuguese.
It’s a funny thing to think of, and I don’t doubt he was told this, but where would you look to verify that the state doesn’t consider Portuguese people white? I’d love to see if it was true, and if it is, how much Portuguese you need to be to be considered something other than white.