There's no such thing as "non-color" people. White is a color, too. I don't understand why some claim that white people cause "division". If anyone causes division its "ethnic minorities" themselves. Why does "BLACKenterprise.com" exist? Or "iZania.com" advertised as BLACK business community? Or dedicated hispanic newspaper "La Raza" (the Race)? I don't see sites like WHITEenterprise.com" or dedicated white newspaper "The Race" because that's immediately labeled "racist". It's minorities that are allowed to do this kind of crap. If you highlight your race you are the ones causing division. The fact is, Europeans got over racial differences long ago, somehow other people still suffer from an inferiority complex which makes them mad over a non-existent issue.
Robyn - 15 years ago
We as people of color should understand by now that non-color people always coming up with something to cause stress, strife and division. Lets not give into another one of those demons tactics to get us upset. This is a way to get people of color not to fill out the census and to make sure we are not to become the majority. I could care less what those people put on any report. I know who I am and I know my father which art in heaven.
Race is a construct and “blacks” were identified as such so that the fruits of our labor could be extracted from us with impunity. The "Negro" label on the 2010 Census was probably chosen in a think-tank somewhere due to it's incendiary nature so we'd not complete the form and miss out on resources. Doing genealogy research, I was surprised to see that the 1880 Census had it right, that my ancestors were correctly designated as "Mulatto" before the rising tide of Jim Crow ensured that only the inaccurate "White" and "Black" labels would stick until this day. Personally, I believe that "colored" is a more apt description in a society that has no intentions on getting the race question right by reinforcing the "color line" of DuBois' chagrin.
Patricia Ewell - 15 years ago
My 85 year old mother describes herself as a Negro. A lot of older African Americans don't like to be called black or African Americans. I will be so glad when we as Blacks, African Americans or even Negros start concentrating on economics the most important thing about the census. This is somewhat like cutting off your nose to spite your face not returning your census form.
Katie - 15 years ago
I don't really see the big deal but am surprised the U.S. Census Bureau didn't have a more up-to-date term. Hopefully it won't deter people of African descent from feeling out the form. They say there some benefits to filling out the Census forms.
D Schwarzhals - 15 years ago
If they were going to ask a question about race, they should know that main races are called Europoid, Mongoloid, Negroid--not White, Asian and Negro (or Black for that matter). Obviously, Negro and Negroid are close and the former had been used as a short for the latter, so they actually asked the question correctly regarding race, but only for descendants of Africans. Everybody else they got wrong. I think "ethnicity" or "ethnic origin" would be more appropriate, especially considering they separated Hispanics into a category and they are not a race.
Personally, I don't want to be called white, I want to be called European.
Alfred - 15 years ago
I'm squarely in the "What's The Big Deal?" camp. I filled out and returned my Census form a couple of days ago, and the use of the term Negro didn't even register with my consciousness. Aren't we still trying to keep that other N-word from crawling out of the coffin Rev. Jackson and others buried it in several years ago? The term Negro may be outdated, but it was never egregiously offensive. (I'm old enough to remember when being called 'black' was an insult to a certain generation of--ahem--Negroes.)
Joyce Johnson - 15 years ago
I was surprised when I saw Negro and after thinking about it, I realize there may be older African American who still accept Negro as a race. Negro is not a RACE it is a color, that is old thinking. I've never heard of a land called Negroland. Whomever approved this to be included on this form is clueless in my opinion. Then again, if folks are offended then they may not return the form and not be counted, therefore representation and funds will not be appropriated.
There's no such thing as "non-color" people. White is a color, too. I don't understand why some claim that white people cause "division". If anyone causes division its "ethnic minorities" themselves. Why does "BLACKenterprise.com" exist? Or "iZania.com" advertised as BLACK business community? Or dedicated hispanic newspaper "La Raza" (the Race)? I don't see sites like WHITEenterprise.com" or dedicated white newspaper "The Race" because that's immediately labeled "racist". It's minorities that are allowed to do this kind of crap. If you highlight your race you are the ones causing division. The fact is, Europeans got over racial differences long ago, somehow other people still suffer from an inferiority complex which makes them mad over a non-existent issue.
We as people of color should understand by now that non-color people always coming up with something to cause stress, strife and division. Lets not give into another one of those demons tactics to get us upset. This is a way to get people of color not to fill out the census and to make sure we are not to become the majority. I could care less what those people put on any report. I know who I am and I know my father which art in heaven.
Have a glorious BLESS, Life
Race is a construct and “blacks” were identified as such so that the fruits of our labor could be extracted from us with impunity. The "Negro" label on the 2010 Census was probably chosen in a think-tank somewhere due to it's incendiary nature so we'd not complete the form and miss out on resources. Doing genealogy research, I was surprised to see that the 1880 Census had it right, that my ancestors were correctly designated as "Mulatto" before the rising tide of Jim Crow ensured that only the inaccurate "White" and "Black" labels would stick until this day. Personally, I believe that "colored" is a more apt description in a society that has no intentions on getting the race question right by reinforcing the "color line" of DuBois' chagrin.
My 85 year old mother describes herself as a Negro. A lot of older African Americans don't like to be called black or African Americans. I will be so glad when we as Blacks, African Americans or even Negros start concentrating on economics the most important thing about the census. This is somewhat like cutting off your nose to spite your face not returning your census form.
I don't really see the big deal but am surprised the U.S. Census Bureau didn't have a more up-to-date term. Hopefully it won't deter people of African descent from feeling out the form. They say there some benefits to filling out the Census forms.
If they were going to ask a question about race, they should know that main races are called Europoid, Mongoloid, Negroid--not White, Asian and Negro (or Black for that matter). Obviously, Negro and Negroid are close and the former had been used as a short for the latter, so they actually asked the question correctly regarding race, but only for descendants of Africans. Everybody else they got wrong. I think "ethnicity" or "ethnic origin" would be more appropriate, especially considering they separated Hispanics into a category and they are not a race.
Personally, I don't want to be called white, I want to be called European.
I'm squarely in the "What's The Big Deal?" camp. I filled out and returned my Census form a couple of days ago, and the use of the term Negro didn't even register with my consciousness. Aren't we still trying to keep that other N-word from crawling out of the coffin Rev. Jackson and others buried it in several years ago? The term Negro may be outdated, but it was never egregiously offensive. (I'm old enough to remember when being called 'black' was an insult to a certain generation of--ahem--Negroes.)
I was surprised when I saw Negro and after thinking about it, I realize there may be older African American who still accept Negro as a race. Negro is not a RACE it is a color, that is old thinking. I've never heard of a land called Negroland. Whomever approved this to be included on this form is clueless in my opinion. Then again, if folks are offended then they may not return the form and not be counted, therefore representation and funds will not be appropriated.