The 2010 Census: A Snapshot of Our Nation?

by Klaudia Aresti

The 2010 census was due in the mail on April 16th, and while its “mail it in” campaign may be a thing of the past, the census controversy is far from over. From the moment the census forms were mailed out all over the country, the media have been buzzing about the controversial race question in which the word “negro” appears. The Census Committee has been getting a lot of heat for using such a racial term, but one thing it has not been scolded for enough is limiting the race categories on the census form—and thus, possibly discriminating against the Hispanic minority.

If we were to search “race” in Merriam-Webster’s dictionary here’s what we would find:

Main Entry: race
Etymology: Middle French, generation, from Old Italian razza
Date: 1580
2 a: a family, tribe, people, or nation belonging to the same stock b: a class or kind of people unified by shared interests, habits, or characteristics
3 a: an actually or potentially interbreeding group within a species; also: a taxonomic category (as a subspecies) representing such a group b: breed c: a category of humankind that shares certain distinctive physical traits

Now let’s look at the race portion of the 2010 census ...

“For this census, Hispanic origins are not races.” According to Webster’s definition of race in regard to the 2010 census, “Hispanic” is not a family, tribe, people, or nation belonging to the same stock. It is not a class or kind of people unified by shared interests, habits, or characteristics. It is not an interbreeding group within a species. It is not a breed, or a category of humankind that shares certain distinctive physical traits.

So, what does this mean for the Hispanic community? And more importantly, for this census, what box is a Hispanic person supposed to check on question nine? We may never have the correct answers to these questions, but here are some things to consider:

According to The Leadership Conference, the race and ethnicity questions on the census are important for evaluating “the effectiveness of federal programs and civil rights protections.” Specifically, the answers that individuals provide to these questions may help promote equal employment opportunities. So, if we answer these questions incorrectly, could we be harming federal programs and civil rights protections? If a Hispanic individual can claim any race on the census, will the Hispanic community be counted correctly in this year’s census?

If the purpose of the census is to take an accurate snapshot of our nation’s population, how accurate is this so-called picture when members of the Hispanic community can be counted as White, African American, or Asian? If the census helps the government determine the federal programs that are needed in our communities, does that mean that the needs of the Hispanic community may be misrepresented or completely ignored?

An example of the significance of counting each race/ethnic group correctly is found on the 2010 census website itself. On the bottom of the census “how it works” page there’s a small statement that reads, “The majority of the country will receive English-only materials. Households in areas with high concentrations of Spanish-speaking residents may receive a bilingual (English/Spanish) form.” How can we determine which areas have high concentrations of Spanish-speaking residents, if we do not have an accurate count of Spanish-speaking people?

Census administrators may argue that question eight includes all members of the Hispanic community, and therefore suffices for proper representation of the Hispanic population. Still, this is problematic. For example, an individual whose mother is Mexican and father is an Anglo-Saxon American selects “Mexican” on question eight and “White” on question nine. Another individual is of Mexican descent through both his mother and father, and selects “Mexican” on question eight and “White” on question nine. What is the difference? On paper both individuals will appear identical, but in reality their backgrounds are different. Are your black or are you Dominican? Are you Native American or are you Indigenous Azteca?

The census may not be structured to completely ignore our nation’s Hispanic population, but it can misrepresent it, and we may not know the consequences of such misrepresentation for years to come. What we do know is that in 2008 Hispanics comprised 15% of the U.S. population, and the 2000 census estimated that by 2050 they will make up 30%. Hispanics are the fastest growing minority in the U.S. So I ask, why? If our nation is so diverse and the Hispanic community makes up such a large portion of our population, why would we allow such an important part of our country to be omitted from the 2010 census?

The census states, “We can’t move forward until you mail it back,” “It’s in our hands,” and that “When we all answer the census, our needs are heard.” I believe we can only move forward and be heard if everyone is accounted for accurately. Making it right is in our hands. The Hispanic community is the largest minority in America and therefore they matter. Their needs must be heard, and they must be counted accurately and on their own terms.

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