A Racial Double Standard

Cord Jefferson states in his theroot.com article promoting the use of the word "colored" to describe black people that he's "brown, but for whatever reason, that descriptor was given to Latinos." He further states "I don't begrudge anyone that decision, but I find it difficult to agree to being called black, because I'm not."
Yet when discussing the white med student from Mozambique who wanted to be called African American, Jefferson had no problem with the use of the word "white." Are whites really white?
And isn't there diversity within the white community? Ever hear of blondes, redheads, and brunettes? A set of encyclopedias I once owned as a kid divided whites into three groups: Nordic, Alpine, and Mediterranean. Obviously an acknowledgment that whites are not all the same, just like blacks.
Plus there are whites who shy away from calling themselves white and instead use the word "Caucasian." This is probably because white is not a good description of their skin tones. Although Caucasian might not be accurate either. Does the term mean that whites originated in the Caucasus Mountains? However, I don't see whites getting all bent out of shape over nomenclature. Maybe it's because whatever name they go by, they still dominate the global power structure.