{"id":6079,"date":"2010-03-18T03:27:42","date_gmt":"2010-03-18T03:27:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mixedracestudies.org\/wordpress\/?page_id=6079"},"modified":"2011-10-10T01:07:34","modified_gmt":"2011-10-10T01:07:34","slug":"2010-u-s-census","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mixedracestudies.org\/wp\/?page_id=6079","title":{"rendered":"2010 U.S. Census – Some Thoughts"},"content":{"rendered":"

2010 U.S.\u00a0Census: You’ll Do Fine With Number 9, or “Who Do You Think We Think You Are?”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Steven F. Riley<\/a><\/strong>
\n2010-03-22<\/p>\n

Much has been written about the apparent dilemma \u2018mixed-race\u2019 individuals face when filling in question #9 (racial identification) on the 2010 United States census form.\u00a0Some believe that such individuals should “mark all that apply” in regards to the racial check boxes to fully express their “total”\u2014if known\u2014racial identity and to do otherwise would somehow “force one to disown” some branch(es) of their family tree.\u00a0 For others, the census is a decennial opportunity to promote equality and\u00a0to provide resources to underserved communities.\u00a0 The census is as Michele Elam comments<\/a>,\u00a0“not a\u00a0place for personal self expression”<\/em>\u00a0and that a multiracial individuals should choose just one<\/em> box\u2014a minority designation\u2014to help\u00a0fulfill such goals.<\/p>\n

Though I do agree that the census is not a place for personal self expression, simply checking one box (if you personally identify as multiracial) strikes me as dishonest and as is often the case, the ends do not justify the means.\u00a0 We cannot ‘lie’ ourselves towards a more just society.\u00a0 What I propose is a more nuanced approach to question 9 instead of being\u00a0as Marcia Dawkins says, “stressed out of the box<\/a>.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

The way to reduce the “stress” is to read, and reread<\/em> the paragraph that explains census question number 9.<\/p>\n

Asked since 1790.\u00a0 Race is key to implementing many federal laws and is needed to monitor compliance<\/strong> with the Voting Rights Act<\/a> and the Civil Rights Acts<\/a>.\u00a0 State governments use the data to determine congressional, state and local voting districts.\u00a0 Race data are also used to assess fairness of employment practices, to monitor racial disparities<\/strong> in characteristics such as health and education and to plan and obtain funds for public services<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This description, like all the others on the form, have evolved over the years from the tireless work of government officials.\u00a0 Most government processes\u2014even under the best of circumstances\u2014are the result of a combination (and compromise) of an adherence to law, a willingness to seek the truth, a deference to custom and tradition, a commitment to justice, and (on occasion) a willingness to accommodate political interests.\u00a0 It is not perfect, but it is the best we have. Our national census is a once-in-ten-year opportunity to collect demographic information that is vital in maintaining a fair and just democracy.<\/p>\n

For those who desire to portray their “accurate racial” identity, I have news for you.\u00a0 “Racial accuracy” is an oxymoron.\u00a0 ‘Race’ as a biological, or anthropological construct is an utter fallacy. ‘Race’ is an imaginary 18th-century construct used to physically and emotionally separate European colonists in the Americas from the Indians they conquered and the Africans they enslaved.\u00a0 Biologically in fact, there is more<\/em> genetic difference between people within<\/em> so-called racial groups than outside of them!\u00a0 The belief in the construct of ‘race’ and the alleged attributes assigned to members of so-called ‘races’ has created the\u00a0very real<\/em> phenomena that we still live with today called racism.\u00a0 Despite centuries racism designed to keep people from so-called “races” from ‘mixing’, we have become a multiracial society.\u00a0 Whether you consider yourself ‘monoracial’ or ‘multiracial’, no number\u00a0of boxes checked will provide “racial accuracy.”\u00a0 There\u00a0are no<\/em> pure races and thus, there is no “true racial identity.”<\/p>\n

The Census Bureau does not enter into the fray of whether or not \u2018race\u2019 is a biological construction\u2014of course, it is not.\u00a0 It does however, imply that \u2018race\u2019 is <\/em>a sociopolitical construction, or as Melissa Harris-Lacewell says, \u201cis constructed through law, history, culture, practice, custom, etc.<\/a>\u201d\u00a0 The census question is neither about an individual’s ancestry informative markers<\/a>\u00a0nor about telling “one’s truth.” \u2018Race\u2019 and racism exists in a social paradigm, not a psychological paradigm.\u00a0 One does not discriminate against one\u2019s self.\u00a0 Discrimination is based on the discriminator’s (society) perceptions of the discriminatee (individual), not the discriminatee’s perception of themselves.<\/p>\n

So for the sake of ending discrimination and eliminating \u00a0health and educational disparities, I shall muse on the notion that a person should select their racial identity\u00a0based on what Nikki Khanna refers to as their self-reflected appraisals<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0 In other words, select the racial identity you think others (society) perceive you (or your children) as.\u00a0 Or if you will, don’t tell us “Who you<\/em> think you are.” (your personal identity), but rather, tell us “Who you think we<\/em> think you are.” (your social identity). \u00a0If you believe that society perceives you as a black\/white multiracial individual, then check the \u201cWhite\u201d and \u201cBlack\u201d boxes.\u00a0 If you, like Harris-Lacewell\u2014who has one black and one white parent\u2014believe that society perceives you as she says, \u201cBlack\u2026 with Access to Residual White Privilege (BWATRWP)<\/a>\u201d, then check only the \u201cBlack\u201d box.\u00a0 If you believe that society perceives you as racially transcendent, leave all of the boxes blank.\u00a0 Those who may fear that identifying as multiracial (checking more than on boxes) on the census might impede anti-discrimination goals, should read Nancy Leong\u2019s lengthy article titled Judicial Erasure of Mixed Race Discrimination<\/a><\/em> where she describes persistent racism directed at individuals specifically<\/em> because they are of mixed-race.<\/p>\n

\u00a92010, Steven F. Riley<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

2010 U.S.\u00a0Census: You’ll Do Fine With Number 9, or “Who Do You Think We Think You Are?” Steven F. Riley 2010-03-22 Much has been written about the apparent dilemma \u2018mixed-race\u2019 individuals face when filling in question #9 (racial identification) on the 2010 United States census form.\u00a0Some believe that such individuals should “mark all that apply” […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-6079","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mixedracestudies.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6079","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mixedracestudies.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mixedracestudies.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mixedracestudies.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mixedracestudies.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6079"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mixedracestudies.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6079\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mixedracestudies.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}