Census...

[Cha Cha]

LOL, I sent mine in a few weeks ago. Just yesterday, I got a postcard reminding me to fill it out and send it in...oh, and if you did already....thanks! Another waste.

[Princes mom]

Originally Posted by Cerise

Latino is not white, what was that person thinking. I suppose Native Americans aren't a race either since he says there are only three
IMO the Census is actually becoming silly when it comes to race in America because so many of us are mixed. I do understand the data for understanding the need for diversity and documenting history, but it's getting pretty confusing. I checked the other box and wrote in Creole because both my parents were Creole, because both sets of their parents considered themselves Creole and were also so mixed that you couldn't tell what they were...especially with their accents and English being their second language. I could have checked "Other" and wrote in ... a French, Native American, African, Spanish, Black dutch (German) mix...aka American human

You are so right about Latinos not being white, but for this census, that is their category. That was determined by the census board, not the one person who spoke with us. Some of my latino friends are very dark...no way should they check "white."
Also, the "3 races" are historical, but needs to be updated, although 3 more have been added on most forms. There is lots of information online...

White: those having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa.
Black or African American: those having origins in any of the black racial groups of Sub-Saharan Africa.
American Indian or Alaska Native, also called Native Americans: those having origins in any of the original peoples of North, Central and South America, and who maintain tribal affiliation or community attachment.
Asian, also called Asian American: those having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, and the Indian subcontinent; frequently specified as Chinese American, Korean American, Indian American, Filipino American, Vietnamese American, Japanese American, etc.
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: those having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands; see also Pacific Islander American.

Some other race: respondents write in the race they consider themselves to be, if different from the foregoing categories. This category captures responses such as Mestizo, Creole, and Mulatto,[8] but among the write-in entries reported in the 2000 census were also South African, Moroccan, Belizean, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban and Wesort, mixed, interracial, and others. This is not a standard race category.
Two or more races, also known as multiracial: those who check off and/or write in more than one race. There is no actual option labelled "Two or more races" on census and other forms; instead, people who report more than one race are categorized together in subsequent processing. Any number, up to all six, of the foregoing racial categories can be reported by any respondent.

[BellaBlue82]

Originally Posted by Cerise

Latino is not white, what was that person thinking. I suppose Native Americans aren't a race either since he says there are only three

IMO the Census is actually becoming silly when it comes to race in America because so many of us are mixed. I do understand the data for understanding the need for diversity and documenting history, but it's getting pretty confusing. I checked the other box and wrote in Creole because both my parents were Creole, because both sets of their parents considered themselves Creole and were also so mixed that you couldn't tell what they were...especially with their accents and English being their second language. I could have checked "Other" and wrote in ... a French, Native American, African, Spanish, Black dutch (German) mix...aka American human

I completely agree with this! To me, this is just another invasion of our privacy. Check our tax returns if you want to see how many people live in my house. As far as my race, that's none of your concern. My "race" is American, and that's all you need to know. My cencus went to visit the garbage can lol!