Various updates about life from my perspective.

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I had cause recently to go (re-)read Directive 15 (because I had been speaking authoritatively about it and hadn’t reviewed it in quite some time - a couple of decades, probably). The last time (before this time) I thought I had reviewed it (or potentially related regulations with the IRS or some other governmental organization - I’ve had a lot of trouble trying to find such a citation, by the way), I learned that I couldn’t self-identify as White, because at that time only folks who were 7/8 White or more were allowed to self-identify as White. So I could only identify as Asian/Pacific Islander.

On further research this morning it sounds like I might have been reading an older regulation (if I had to guess, it was issued by a governmental or private agency in Virginia, but I can’t narrow it down further than that - I just don’t know) based on the older “One-drop rule“. It also sounds like in practice, this kind of rule was really only applied to folks who could be categorized as African Americans, but when I read it I’m pretty sure I thought it applied to me as well.

For reference of anyone who might find this via IBARW, I am half Chinese American and half Caucasian American by blood, ancestry, parentage. I can tell you where my families are from, but it also works if I say I’m 1/2 Taishanese, 1/4 Welsh, 1/8 English and 1/8 Scot. Cool, huh? I’m proud of my inherited ancestries.

Anyhow…

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