Census Race Conversations

My friend had trouble filling out her Census survey.  She mentioned it to me a week or two ago and I hadn’t opened ours yet, so I asked why.  She continued, “I don’t know how to answer question 9.  I’m not white.”

As you probably noticed, this year’s census survey separates out all people of Hispanic/Latino/Spanish origin by themselves in question 8, then asks respondents to choose a race in question 9.  But question 9 doesn’t include Hispanic/Latino.  My friend is Salvadoran.  She’s not white.  She’s not Black either, or any of the other “race” categories.  Reluctantly, she was considering marking “white”.

In the Census Bureau’s explanation of the race question, they say “People who identify their origin as Hispanic, Latino or Spanish may be of any race.”  Granted.  But then, “In addition, it is recognized that the categories of the race item include both racial and national origin or socio-cultural groups.”  Yet the race categories don’t include Hispanic/Latino, which some people of those ethnic origins ALSO consider their race. Others are upset about inclusion of the word “Negro” alongside “African American” and “Black” as a term we should have eradicated from the census long ago.

I’ve seen some commentary on several sides of this issue—some suggesting survey respondents fill in “American” for race in order to post a protest against racial injustice; others suggesting the same answer in order to prevent minority groups from receiving government funding.  At my kids’ public school, the census will impact our federal aid in coming years (the school is currently 43% Hispanic, 30% African American, 23% White, 3% Asian, 3% other). Some people—from majority and minority racial groups—don’t like the fact that race is part of what will factor in to the funding.

This census has been a reminder for me: I don’t want to assume that I know what my non-White friends think about the census questions about race and ethnicity.  And I don’t want to assume that all my Hispanic friends feel the same way as one another, or my African American or Asian friends and neighbors.  But I’m interested in asking some of them and in listening to their different perspectives.

Several years ago for the Deep Justice in a Broken World project we interviewed Lina Thompson, a dear friend of FYI who serves with World Vision’s U.S. Youth Programs, to help us understand more about having conversations about race and with people of other races.  Her insights are invaluable, and I recommend you listen to the interview if you’re interested in having better race conversations.  I’ll quote Lina to close: “It doesn’t make any sense to try to talk about race relations if no real relationship or desire for relationships exists…You can’t do it from a distance.”

©2010 Fuller Youth Institute