The Census and Race—Part V—Recent Censuses

2001-2005 U. S. legal immigration rate per country's total 2000 population

This is the fifth post in a six part series dealing with the race questions on the census. It considers the three most recent censuses and their "racial" categories and concepts. (I have included a fair amount of detail in the first two paragraphs because these are the most recent censuses, and contain the politically created categories we are now living with.)

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The 1990 census, as well as the two subsequent ones, used only the term "race"--thereby insisting on this category definition. It allowed individuals to choose only one of six races: White, Black or Negro, Indian (Amer.) (Print the name of the enrolled or principal tribe.), Eskimo, Aleut, and Other race (Print race). There was also a seventh race, Asian or Pacific Islander (API), which required one to choose one of ten sub-categories: Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Vietnamese, Asian Indian, Hawaiian, Guamanian, Samoan, Other API. There was also a separate question, "Is this person of Spanish/Hispanic origin or descent?" with substantially the same five options as in the 1980 census.

The 2000 census made a few changes from that of 1990--most notably allowing individuals to choose one or more races. It changed "Race" to "What is this person's race?" It dropped the Asian or Pacific Islander (API) race category, and simply merged all its subcategories with the other races; and it changed "Guamanian" to "Guamanian or Chamorro." The 2010 census race question was substantially the same as that of 2000, yielding the current 15 races: (1) White; (2) Black, African American, or Negro; (3) American Indian or Alaskan Native (and leaves a space for you to write in your enrolled or principal tribe); (4) Asian Indian; (5) Chinese; (6) Filipino; (7) Japanese; (8) Korean; (9) Vietnamese; (10) Other Asian (and leaves a space for you to write in your race); (11) Native Hawaiian; (12) Guamanian or Chamorro; (13) Samoan; (14) Other Pacific Islander (and leaves a space for you to write in your race); and (15) Some other race (and leaves a space for you to write in your race).

Even though it has insisted on reifying the term "race" ever since 1990, the census has kept changing the names of races, the ways races are categorized, and the number of races.

Name changes: Guamanian became Guamanian or Chamorro; Black or Negro became Black, African American, or Negro.

Category changes: Asian or Pacific Islander was a race with sub-categories in 1990; but in 2000 and 2010 it became 11 races. (One might also ask why Guamanian and Samoan are considered separate races, but Other Pacific Islander merges numerous possibilities--such as Tahitian--into a single race. Is U. S. citizenship the distinguishing feature of a race--Tahitians are French--and if so, how can race be a biological category?)

Changes in the number of races: Seven races in 1990 became fifteen in 2000 and 2010.

If there is one conclusion that is clear from the three most recent censuses--as has been evident in the discussion in previous posts on census questions going all the way back to 1790--it is that racial categories are political and cultural categories created in response to social pressures, and not biological entities.

Image Sources:

2001-2005 U. S. legal immigration rate per country's total 2000 population (Created by BGManofID, using data from USCIS) http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2001-2005_imm_rate_US.PNG

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Official Signature
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DHS_WR_at.gif

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