Jeb Bush identified himself as ‘Hispanic’ in 2009 form

*Wait. What? This opens a crate filled with cans of worms.

The Hispanic/ Latino/ Indigenous/ Mestizo/ Chicano/ Mexicano/ Salvadoreño/ Dominicano/ Boricua/ etc… community has been in “dialogue” about the issue of identity for a long time. There’s no need to go over the particulars of the discussion, we all know where we sand on the issue. The most recent push has been away from any official designation and towards the idea of self-identification, where an individual decides his/her identity for her/his self. Self-identification makes good sense to a community of mixed heritage, nationalities, and races. But the good sense in this case is based on two things: inclusion and an individual’s right to self-identify. This is where the worms start to crawl out of the can.

The idea that identification is a self-regulated thing means that anyone can identify as they please, no? So Jeb Bush?

On another plane, Bush’s spokesperson had no comment. It may have crossed someone’s mind that Jeb’s Hispanic identification was either a mistake or a calculated thing. But how does identifying as an Hispanic fit into any calculus, personal or political?

Then again, it could be a big to-do about nothing. VL

By Nick Glass, Politico

Jeb Bush identified himself as Hispanic on a 2009 voter registration form, according to a report by The New York Times on Monday.

According to the voter-registration application, Bush chose Hispanic in the “race/ethnicity” field.

Click HERE to read the full story.