US Government Rethinking Race, Ethnicity Classifications
2023-03-18
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1The United States is considering updating racial and ethnic categories recognized in the country for the first time since 1997.
2The government's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) plans to decide on the new categories next year.
3It is holding three meetings open to the public this week to discuss the issue.
4Supporters of the proposed changes say the new categories will help the government get more exact information about the country's population.
5The changes would create a new category for people of Middle Eastern and North African ancestry, also known by the acronym MENA.
6They are now classified as white but say they have been undercounted.
7Another change would combine questions about race and ethnicity into one.
8With the changes, the government would try to get more detailed answers by asking about country of origin.
9Besides helping to give a picture of the U.S. population, the categories are used to enforce civil rights, voting rights and employment discrimination laws.
10The U.S. Census Bureau studies the population.
11It carries out a count every 10 years and collects other information about the country's people.
12The study includes questions about race and ethnicity and must follow OMB definitions of such.
13Currently, it includes five categories of race.
14They include White, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander.
15The most recent Census study was in 2020.
16The Census Bureau website states that the categories "generally reflect a social definition of race recognized in this country."
17And the agency notes that "People may choose to report more than one race to indicate their racial mixture."
18The OMB has collected more than 4,300 comments about the possible changes.
19Shalini Parekh wrote that she wants a way for South Asian people to identify themselves differently than East Asians from places like China or Japan.
20She said that when these groups are put into only one category, it is harder to identify issues that relate to one group but not another.
21Nyhiem Way said he is tired of people mixing the terms African American and Black.
22He and others want to distinguish descendants of enslaved people from black immigrants from Africa who were not enslaved.
23Mixing "African American" with "Black" has "blurred what it means to be an African American in this country," he said.
24Way works for a pharmaceutical company in Athens, Georgia, and spoke about the issue in a telephone interview.
25However, some people disagree with expanding categories and classifications.
26They say that could weaken the idea of a single American identity and increase separation between groups.
27"By creating and deepening sub-national identities, the government further contributes to the decline of one national American identity," wrote Mike Gonzalez, an expert at The Heritage Foundation, a research and education group based in Washington, D.C.
28He commented on the OMB web page seeking public opinions on the proposed changes.
29Byron Haskins is a retired government worker from Lansing, Michigan.
30He suggests the U.S. stop using racial and ethnic identifications.
31Haskins says the practice supports the continuation of "deeply rooted unjust" social systems and ideas.
32Instead, he said people should be able to identify themselves as they wish.
33"You need to search for the truth and not just stay with the old categories because someone decided, 'That is what we decided,'" Haskins said.
34But Houda Meroueh thinks that having more categories could be helpful.
35She described herself as a 73-year-old Arab American woman.
36"When I go to the doctor's office, I do not feel they have the information necessary to understand my medical history or my culture," she said.
37"For all these reasons I want to be counted as who I am. Not as white."
38I'm Andrew Smith.
1The United States is considering updating racial and ethnic categories recognized in the country for the first time since 1997. The government's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) plans to decide on the new categories next year. It is holding three meetings open to the public this week to discuss the issue. 2Supporters of the proposed changes say the new categories will help the government get more exact information about the country's population. 3The changes would create a new category for people of Middle Eastern and North African ancestry, also known by the acronym MENA. They are now classified as white but say they have been undercounted. Another change would combine questions about race and ethnicity into one. 4With the changes, the government would try to get more detailed answers by asking about country of origin. 5Besides helping to give a picture of the U.S. population, the categories are used to enforce civil rights, voting rights and employment discrimination laws. 6The U.S. Census Bureau studies the population. It carries out a count every 10 years and collects other information about the country's people. The study includes questions about race and ethnicity and must follow OMB definitions of such. 7Currently, it includes five categories of race. They include White, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. 8The most recent Census study was in 2020. The Census Bureau website states that the categories "generally reflect a social definition of race recognized in this country." And the agency notes that "People may choose to report more than one race to indicate their racial mixture." 9Public comments 10The OMB has collected more than 4,300 comments about the possible changes. 11Shalini Parekh wrote that she wants a way for South Asian people to identify themselves differently than East Asians from places like China or Japan. She said that when these groups are put into only one category, it is harder to identify issues that relate to one group but not another. 12Nyhiem Way said he is tired of people mixing the terms African American and Black. He and others want to distinguish descendants of enslaved people from black immigrants from Africa who were not enslaved. 13Mixing "African American" with "Black" has "blurred what it means to be an African American in this country," he said. 14Way works for a pharmaceutical company in Athens, Georgia, and spoke about the issue in a telephone interview. 15However, some people disagree with expanding categories and classifications. They say that could weaken the idea of a single American identity and increase separation between groups. 16"By creating and deepening sub-national identities, the government further contributes to the decline of one national American identity," wrote Mike Gonzalez, an expert at The Heritage Foundation, a research and education group based in Washington, D.C. He commented on the OMB web page seeking public opinions on the proposed changes. 17Byron Haskins is a retired government worker from Lansing, Michigan. He suggests the U.S. stop using racial and ethnic identifications. Haskins says the practice supports the continuation of "deeply rooted unjust" social systems and ideas. 18Instead, he said people should be able to identify themselves as they wish. 19"You need to search for the truth and not just stay with the old categories because someone decided, 'That is what we decided,'" Haskins said. 20But Houda Meroueh thinks that having more categories could be helpful. She described herself as a 73-year-old Arab American woman. 21"When I go to the doctor's office, I do not feel they have the information necessary to understand my medical history or my culture," she said. "For all these reasons I want to be counted as who I am. Not as white." 22I'm Andrew Smith. 23Mike Schneider reported this story for The Associated Press. Andrew Smith adapted the story for Learning English. 24_______________________________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26category -n. a classification or grouping with members that share certain characteristics 27distinguish -v. to see or understand the difference between two or more things 28blur -v. to make something appear unclear 29interview -n. a discussion where one person asks another person questions, usually for an official purpose 30contribute -v. to add to 31decline -n. the weakening or diminishing of something 32_______________________________________________________________ 33We want to hear from you. 34We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 35Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.