The federal government is taking the initial steps on revising racial and ethnic classifications. Here’s everything you need to know about the ethnicity census.
What is the ethnicity census all about?
The ethnicity census in the US is conducted every 10 years as part of the decennial census by the U.S. Census Bureau. It aims to collect data on race and ethnicity separately. Hence, respondents must for example indicate whether they are of Hispanic or Latino origin. Therefore they end up choosing one or more races that best describe them. The current racial categories used by the Census Bureau are White, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and Some Other Race.
The federal government is taking preliminary steps needed for revising the classification after over a quarter century. The revisions are going to open the door for changes desired by advocates on various surveys and census forms.
More on the matter
The changes would create a new category for people of Middle Eastern and North African descent (MENA). MENA is currently classified as white. Moreover, without a separate category, a group’s political power is diluted. Additionally, advocates believe cohesive representation will benefit several. “When I go to the doctor’s office I do not feel they have the information necessary to understand my medical history or my culture. For all these reasons I also want to be counted as who I am. Not as white” said Houda Meroueh, a 73-year-old Arab American woman.
Another proposal suggests combining both race and ethnic questions into one survey. There are also voices to distinguish South Asians from East Asians. “When these groups are assessed together, one loses a lot of important granularity that can help differentiate issues that are specific to one group and not another,” explained Shalini Parekh. Some advocates state the current method of ethnicity census often confuses Hispanic respondents. It also recommends removing words such as “Negro” and “Far east” in addition to dropping terms such as majority and minority.
