In a significant revision of how it categorizes Americans, the United States Census will now offer “Hispanic or Latino” and “Middle Eastern or North African” (MENA) as distinct race categories, a move that addresses long-standing concerns about representation and accuracy in federal data collection. This change, the first of its kind in over a quarter of a century, is set to impact not only the census but also a broad range of federal statistics and forms, potentially reshaping the nation’s understanding and acknowledgment of its diverse population.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has adopted new race and ethnicity standards that are aimed at capturing the expanding multicultural identity of the country. An official from the OMB explained, “These updated standards are going to help us create more useful, accurate and up-to-date federal data on race and ethnicity.” Federal agencies, along with state and local governments, researchers, and nonprofit groups, are expected to align with these new guidelines, which could significantly affect policy-making, research, and the representation of diverse communities.
The decision to overhaul the racial and ethnic categories reflects findings from the 2020 census, which showed most Hispanics did not identify with the previously available race options of white, Black, or Asian, but were more likely to choose “some other race” or to check “two or more races.” Now, under the new standard, Hispanic or Latino is a single race/ethnicity category with subcategories like “Mexican, Puerto Rican, Salvadoran, Cuban, Dominican, Guatemalan, and other Central or South American or Spanish culture or origin.”
Likewise, for individuals of Middle Eastern or North African heritage, a distinct checkbox offers recognition beyond the outdated classification of “white” or “other.” This addition is particularly relevant to an estimated 7 to 8 million people who, until now, did not have the option to accurately identify themselves. Subcategories for MENA include “Lebanese, Iranian, Egyptian, Syrian, Iraqi, Israeli, etc.”
Arturo Vargas, CEO of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund, praised the revised standards as “long overdue and critical,” highlighting the importance of complete and accurate data on the Latino community. However, he also expressed concerns about the prescriptive nature of the new categories and the need for flexibility to reflect ongoing research and improve questions.
Despite the broad support for these changes, there have been some concerns within the Afro Latino or Black Latino population about the potential to dilute their visibility. The Afro-Latino Coalition stated, “By listing Latino ethnicity as co-equal with racial categories, Latinos are inaccurately portrayed as a population without racial differences.” The OMB addressed these concerns, indicating that research showed slightly higher estimates for Afro Latino populations with the combined race/ethnicity question, but also recommended more research on the issue.
Relevant articles:
– the United States Census will now offer Hispanic/Latino and Middle Eastern/North African race categories for the first time
– Next U.S. census will have new boxes for ‘Middle Eastern or North African,’ ‘Latino’, NPR, Thu, 28 Mar 2024 12:44:12 GMT
– US changes how it categorizes people by race and ethnicity. It’s the first revision in 27 years, WWNY, Thu, 28 Mar 2024 13:08:00 GMT
– No Box to Check: When the Census Doesn’t Reflect You, The New York Times, Sun, 25 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT