Catchword: box-checker

Filed Under: English, Native American, Derogatory

Part of Speech: n.

Quotation: Noley and Chenault have a name for those who would use spurious ties to tribal heritage to further their employment opportunities. They call them “box-checkers.” According to Chenault, some job candidates simply “check the box” for American Indian/Alaskan Native on job forms, hoping to be identified as minority faculty and thus reap the benefits of any available affirmative action plans.…Far more objectionable than those who simply “check the box” are the “mock checkers,” says Noley. The term refers to those in academic programs who not only falsely claim tribal affiliation but also set themselves up as official purveyors of American Indian culture and religion.

Article or Document Title:
“Ethnic Fraud?” (URL)

Author:
Mary Annette Pember

Article, Document, Publication, Web Site:
Diverse

Date of Publication:
Jan. 25, 2007

This catchword has yet to be researched.