So I must admit I skipped over the whole entire 3 pages of postings here, because, quite frankly, I'm not interested in getting into any debates about race/affirmative action. But in the interest of answering the op's question, I can say that I spoke with a professor, at one of the top programs in my field, from a very well respected university, prior to applying, who point blank asked me if I was a minority (technically, when it comes to checking the boxes on an application, I am not) and in the interest of helping me, said that being a minority helps improve diversity in the school and would help me get admitted.