[Clemenza]

Yes, and Arabs are classified as “white”, much to the dismay of some of my former neighbors in Brooklyn.

[BillyBoy]

The government classified race in 2000 by listing five races and telling people to "pick all that apply". They listed:

White
Black
American Indian and Alaska Native
Asian
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Then on a separate question, they asked "Are you hispanic?"

If it was up to me, if they were doing a survey on race in America, I'd phrase it more like this:

RACIAL BACKGROUND

Select which ethnic group the MAJORITY of your ancestry is from. Check only ONE box.

CAUCASIAN (mostly Western & Eastern European ancestry: German, Irish, Polish, Italian, etc.)
AFRICAN (mostly central and sub-sarhareen Africa ancestry) South Africa, Guana, Kenya, etc.
ORIENTAL or PACIFIC ISLANDER (mostly asian/far east ancestry Hawaiian, Japan, Korea, China, Cambodia, etc.
EAST INDIAN (mostly India subcontinent or Pakistani ancestry) India, Pakistan
ARABIC (mostly Mideastern & Northern African background) Egyptian, Syrian, Lebanese, etc.)
AMERICAN INDIAN or ALASKAN NATIVE (Indigious to the Americas) Cree, Blackfoot, Sioux, Inuit, etc.
MESTIZO (mixed European Spaniard & Indigenous Indian ancestry) Mexican, Columbian, Brazilian, etc.
MIXED ( equal parts multiple ancestry. List all races that apply _________ _____________ __________ __________ )