Is Latina/Latino a race? Sounds more like a geographic term to me.
My nephew married a girl from Lima, Peru. Her birth family has now relocated to Florida - legally! They consider themselves to be Latina/Latino - but definitely not people of color. Their heritage is European - Spanish to be specific.
I don’t think it is a race. Latino just refers to someone who is from Latin America, Hispanic means Spaniards. Just because they are dark doesn’t mean they are a race anymore than Sicilians are a race.
I looked it up. It’s not a race, it’s an ethnicity.
“Race refers to a person’s physical characteristics, such as bone structure and skin, hair, or eye color. Ethnicity, however, refers to cultural factors, including nationality, regional culture, ancestry, and language.”
https://www.diffen.com/difference/Ethnicity_vs_Race
Some people just really hold on to their ethnic background if it’s perceived advantageous.
My wife is 25% Chippewa Native American. Ask her if she’s native though and she’ll just laugh and say she’s just a rural North Dakota country girl. Which she is. (The rest is pretty much just salty Norwegian.)