NO, ELON MUSK IS NOT “AFRICAN AMERICAN”: At least not according to the official government definition.

Based on some correspondence with Instapundit readers, a lot of people are confused by this, and by the Hispanic classification. The US has official government racial and ethnic classifications, promulgated by the Office of Management and Budget in 1977. One of those was Black/Negro, later changed in name but not in substance to Black/African American. The government’s definition is a person descended from one of the “black racial groups of Africa.” So, no, Musk does not qualify, nor does an Egyptian or Moroccan-descended American, no matter how dark-complexioned.

Re Hispanics, people seem to think that this is also a racial classification, and means someone from a Spanish-speaking background who has brownish skin. In fact, Hispanic is defined by the government as an ethnic classification that includes anyone of “Spanish origin or culture.” So, yes, that blond-haired blue-eyed Argentine immigrant of German descent who you met in college is officially Hispanic, as is anyone who immigrates from Spain.

Of course, outside legal contexts, no one requires us to follow these classifications and definitions. But if Elon Musk applied for Minority Business Enterprise status based on being an African American, the relevant government agency would properly deny that status based on the law.

If you are confused by all this, you can always read my book for an explanation of how our classifications developed, how they are defined, and how they are enforced.

UPDATE: To everyone saying I don’t get the “joke” of people referring to Musk as an African American, I understand that we all know that when people say “African American,” that’s not what they have in mind. But a lot of people also seem to think that Musk is *technically* African American, because he fits the definition, and thus *could* check the box for affirmative action and whatnot if he wanted to. That’s incorrect, though I should add that one of the weird things about American government-imposed racial classifications is that while we are constantly asked to check the “right” box, we usually aren’t provided with the relevant official definitions on the forms.