When I saw a link for the spanking new “race and ethnicity” guidelines from the U.S. Census Bureau plastered across the ISIS homepage, I had to check it out.
The first time I took the FCAT, I had a fit. I demanded to know why I had not been provided with a “multiracial” box to tick.
Racial diversity at my school meant three black students, a half-Korean kid and me, so my guidance counselor was a tad unprepared. I insisted I should check two boxes — I couldn’t play favorites with my parents. She said no.
The new census is an improvement if only in that you can check more than one box. There are two questions, each with its own list of answers and politically correct disclaimers.
The first addresses whether you are Hispanic. It states: “The above part of the question is about ethnicity, not race,” so whether you are black, white or blue, if you’re from Central or South America, you’re hispanic.
Yes, Cubans and Puerto Ricans as well. Question done, now let’s move onto race.
As an anthro student, I word-vomit “social construct” as soon as I hear the word race.
As far as I’m aware, the U.S. government didn’t enslave or abuse any of my ancestors, so I don’t really see a reason the government needs to know with which group I would rather associate myself.
What purpose does a racial category serve in the census?
As one of my professors was told when he asked this question during his time as one of the census’s “expert consultants”: It’s the law.
The instructions are to choose one or more from the following racial groups. These groups are as follows: American Indian or Alaska native, Asian, black or African American, native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and white.
Each choice comes with a paragraph defining the category and they use the phrase “a person having origins in” a lot.
I get the feeling that anthropological know-how is becoming hip in the politically correct world in which the current administration lives.
So what I think they were trying to demonstrate was some race consciousness. The intended question should probably have been written: Where in the hey did your ancestors live before colonialism went and redrew the continent of Africa?
It’s a questionnaire written by somebody who probably wasn’t there the day their anthropology, sociology, biology or anatomy professor talked about human variation.
And it’s a section of the questionnaire I’ll be skipping. Thank you, UF and ISIS, but I don’t feel like standing up and being counted. I have my passports.
You know which countries they are from. That should be plenty.
Whether or not it’s officially recognized, race is an issue. As long as populations with recognizable physical differences interact, it will always be an issue.
Prescribing racial categories doesn’t help. What does help is treating every individual as a human being and not just a number.
Lily Bruns is a third-year anthropology major.
