RACIAL/ETHNIC GROUPS:
The four racial/ethnic groups protected by Federal equal employment opportunity laws are Blacks, Hispanics, Asians or Pacific Islanders, and American Indians or Alaskan Natives.  Racial/ethnic groups are defined by the Federal Government as follows:

• White (not of Hispanic origin): Persons having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, North Africa, or the Middle East.
  
• Black (not of Hispanic origin): Persons having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa.
  
• Hispanic: Persons of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race.
  
• Asian or Pacific Islander: Persons having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, or the Pacific Islands. This area includes, for example, China, Japan, Korea, the Philippine Islands, and Samoa.
  
• American Indian or Alaskan Native: Persons having origins in any of the original peoples of North America and who maintain cultural identification through tribal affiliation or community recognition.