Ethnic Minority Groups

For the purpose of NMSDC certification, Ethnic-minorities are defined as: African-American or Black, Asian-Indian American, Asian-Pacific American, Hispanic (non-European), or a documented Native American Indian.

African-American: A U.S. citizen having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Sub- Sahara Africa. These countries include: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina-Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Western Sahara, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Latin-American: A U.S. citizen of true-born Latin heritage (this means blood-line, not Nationality) of any of the Spanish speaking areas of Latin America or the following regions: Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean basin only. These countries include: Mexico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Panama, Guatemala, Argentina, Boliva, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, Belize, Nicaragua.

Native American: A person who is an American Indian, Eskimo, Aleut or Native Hawaiian, and regarded as such by the community of which the person claims to be a part. Native Americans must be documented members of a North American tribe, band or otherwise organized group of native people who are indigenous to the United States and proof can be provided through a Native American Blood Degree Certificate (i.e. tribal registry letter, tribal roll register number).

Asian, Asian Indian and Pacific Islander American: A. U.S. citizen whose origins are from the Asian Pacific Islander region. These countries include: Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Guam, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Samoa, Thailand, Taiwan, the U.S. Trust Territories of the Pacific or the Northern Marianas, and Vietnam.

* NOTE: Being born in a country listed above does not, by itself, suffice to make an individual a member of a minority group.

Groups not eligible for certification are, and not limited to:

Iberian Peninsula (Spain, Portugal) Asia Minor Region (Peninsula between the Black Sea & the Mediterranean Persian Gulf (Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, etc.) Europe Northern Africa (Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Algeria, etc.)

Green card holders and Resident Aliens are not eligible for certification.