By separating race and ethnicity, and by allowing respondents to select more than one race category, more people’s racial and ethnic identities are accommodated by the categories the Census provided in 2000. For example, a person descended from western Europeans who settled in Argentina could answer “yes” to Hispanic and then choose “White” under race. A person descended from slaves brought to Cuba from Africa could answer “yes” to Hispanic and then choose “Black” under race.
However, many people find the Census categories difficult to apply to themselves. For example, many Mexican Americans may find that they relate only to the category “Hispanic” but do not perceive themselves as American Indian, White, nor any other race category. A recent immigrant from Kenya may find himself in the awkward position of having to identify himself as “African American” And there is no clear category for individuals from areas such as Brazil, eastern Russia, the Middle East, nor the outback of Australia.
To learn more about the ongoing debate regarding the limitations of race data as well as the needs for race data, read the U.S. Commission on Civil Right’s Briefing on the Consequences of Government Race Data Collection Bans on Civil Rights (link will pop up in new window).