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box-checker

box-checker
 n.— «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.» —“Ethnic Fraud?” by Mary Annette Pember Diverse Jan. 25, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)

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