Prospective modifications to US Census: WSJ

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
30 Mar 2023 22:51

The administration is surveying opinions about the prospect of introducing a distinction of ancestry among Black Americans.

A picture of a census booklet sent to citizens to fill out every year (AFP)

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Biden administration is still deliberating the prospect of adding a new category to the US census distinguishing African Americans of "slave lineage" from those of immigrant lineage.

The administration is still toying with the idea while surveying opinions about the prospect of introducing this distinction of ancestry among Black Americans. Some of the proposed terms for those of slave lineage are: "American Descendants of Slavery" "American Freedmen" and "Foundational Black Americans".

Consequentially, this introduced distinction would allow for an accurate quantification of Americans of slave lineage in case the federal or state government decides to offer monetary reparations and compensations to those who descend from underprivileged slave families.

Additional prospective modification to the census categories is the questions of race and ethnicity creating a new race question category for Americans of Middle Eastern or North African descent.

It was reported back in January, that census data on race and ethnicity in the United States may be changed soon as a recent proposal includes adding the option for Middle Eastern and North African people.

The proposal released by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regarding race and ethnicity statistical standards reveals a "new and distinct minimum reporting category" for people hailing from the MENA region - but currently have no other option but to select "white".

The proposal involves defining white as only individuals of European ancestry. The OMB justifies its proposal by stating that "many in the MENA community do not share the same lived experience as White people with European ancestry, do not identify as White, and are not perceived as White by others."