Say It Ain't So Already

2010 Census Includes “Negro” as Race

January 6, 2010 at 3:47 PM Leave a comment

Talk about a government that is tone deaf:

Question No. 9, which asks Americans to state their race, lists “black, African Amer., or negro” as options. But how come there’s only one option for “white”? What if one self-identifies as Poindexter, Richie Cunningham, or Whitey McWhite White?

Congress approved the form more than a year ago, and “negro” has appeared on past forms. Census Bureau spokesman Jack Martin says it’s intended as a term of inclusion, telling the Daily News, “Many older African-Americans identified themselves that way, and many still do. Those who identify themselves as Negroes need to be included.” But TV producer Patrick Riley asks Grio, “If the census form authors are going to go so far as to include an the archaic term ‘Negro,’ why not put ‘Colored’ on there? Just in case someone hadn’t graduated from that word usage.”

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