Begin by reading this reference information about race and ethnicity:
The U.S. Census Bureau must adhere to the 1997 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) standards on race and ethnicity which guide the Census Bureau in classifying written responses to the race question. The 1997 OMB guidelines permit the reporting of more than one race.
White – A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa.
Black or African American – A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa.
American Indian or Alaska Native – A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America) and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment.
Asian – A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander – A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.
An individual’s response to the race question is based upon self-identification. The Census Bureau does not tell individuals which boxes to mark or what heritage to write in. For the first time in Census 2000, individuals were presented with the option to self-identify with more than one race and this has continued since. People who identify with more than one race may choose to provide multiple races in response to the race question. For example, if a respondent identifies as "Asian" and "White," they may respond to the question on race by checking the appropriate boxes that describe their racial identities and/or writing in these identities on the spaces provided.
What is Race?
The racial categories included in the census questionnaire generally reflect a social definition of race recognized in this country and not an attempt to define race biologically, anthropologically, or genetically. In addition, it is recognized that the categories of the race item include racial and national origin or sociocultural groups. People may choose to report more than one race to indicate their racial mixture, such as “American Indian” and “White.” People who identify their origin as Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish may be of any race.
OMB requires five minimum categories: White, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. The Hispanic / Latino category is not defined as a race as Hispanics can be of any race. Hispanics are defined as an ethnic group.
Reasons for Collecting Information on Race
Information on race is required for many Federal programs and is critical in making policy decisions, particularly for civil rights. States use these data to meet legislative redistricting principles. Race data also are used to promote equal employment opportunities and to assess racial disparities in health and environmental risks.
By using the above information and the timeline, answer the following questions:
1) In which racial/ethnic category would a person from Libya be categorized in 2020?
2) What was the first census (year) that persons from Puerto Rico were identified and counted as Hispanic/Latino?
3) In 1959, both Alaska and Hawaii became states. How did the categorization of race change in the 1960 Census to accommodate the change?
4) Though the census doesn’t ask a question about one’s religion, there was one census (year) that categorized an Asian group by the name of their religion. What was the name of that religion.
5) In the 1860 Census, only certain Indians were enumerated. What was the criteria that determined if they should be counted.
6) Essay Question (5 to 6 paragraphs expected; points deducted for improper punctuation, grammar and spelling.)
The terminology used to categorize persons in the Black population has changed several times since the 1st census in 1790.
What terms have been used? Mention each of the terms and define, as necessary.
What does this say about how society has changed in the way it has looked upon the Black population over the decades?
