Posted on 01/07/2010 12:00:04 AM PST by FromLori
Question #9 Causes Uproar, Asks For Citizens To Pick 'Black,' 'African American' Or 'Negro' From Same Box
A fiery blast from the past is conjuring controversy in the new millennium. The word "negro" is now featured on an official U.S. document and now many are questioning if the Census Bureau is being insensitive.
It's a word that many African Americans associate with segregation, so imagine how shocked many were to see it on the 2010 U.S. census form.
"The fact that it's 2010 and they're still putting 'negro,' I am a little offended," said Secaucus resident Dawud Ingram.
Question #9 on the this year's census asks about your race. One of the boxes you can choose is "black," "African American," or "negro," all placed next to the same box. Ingram said it's not a word he uses to identify neither himself nor anybody else.
"African Americans haven't been going by the term 'negro' for decades now. It's really confusing," he said.
But census officials disagree, saying they found some older African Americans identify themselves that way and they're trying to be inclusive. In a statement, they said: "Results from the census in 2000 showed that a number of respondents provided a write-in response of 'negro' when answering the question on race."
In fact, Congress approved the form more than a year ago. Newark resident Jabbar Ali can't believe it.
"I thought it was something we left behind a long time ago the word 'negro,'" said Ali.
Chanou Wilshire said the census form doesn't give her an option since it's got "African American," "black," and "negro" next to the same box.
"It's highly offensive," she told CBS 2.
But not everyone is offended.
"How you define yourself I guess is subjective. But for me, that on a form doesn't offend me at all," said Brooklyn resident Tiffany Campbell.
Others don't understand why the question of race has to come up on any form.
"I'm an American. What's wrong with just being an American?" asked Newark resident Derri Gowns.
Census bureau officials said they're preparing for the 2020 form, asking folks now in a questionnaire whether the word 'negro' should be removed.
What do you think about the word? Should it be removed? Vote in our poll on the right and leave your comments below!
Yup. And when they ask what race I belong to?
Human.
If blacks like to be called "blacks," the word negro in some langyages means "black."
Then there's this...
Apparently, not tooo many blacks speak Spanish.
You forgot “Amfrican”
It's actually the Spanish word, as in dictionary, for the color black.
In sociology classes when I was young, the races were separated into Negroid, Mongoloid and Caucasoid. Still works for me and makes everything far less confusing.
How about we create our own box on the census form and write the word “Tea Party Person,” and then check the box?
AFAIK, the Constitution only requires enumeration of the population. All that’s required is to tell how many people live at a given place.
All of the other crap questions about education levels, “race”, income, number of toilets, etc., are garbage and don’t require answers.
If I was a black, native born American, I would be insulted with the term African-American. Only legal immigrants from Africa who have become naturalized American citizens should be tagged with that term. ....The term “negro” has always been associated with a black person. It’s not a denigrating term and the people that profess their outrage at its usage are idiots.
Black is a *color*.
Negroid is a *race*, along with Caucasoid and Mongoloid.
Does the form include “white”, “yellow” or “brown” as choices?
How about peach, sallow, beige or tan?
I’m a Beige-American.
Unless they’re transparent, *everyone* is a “person of color”.
[although Edgar and Johnny Winter *are* pushing it a bit]....:)
Exactly! Same three terms I learned in Sociology and Anthropology courses in college. In the past, I’ve crossed out the census question about “Race” and written ‘Caucasian’, with additional comments that their possible answers involved ‘colors’, not races.
I’m writing in “plaid”.
Obama’s white part’s fault.
I’m sure they did this in honor of the UNCF, the United Negro College Fund.
Why didn’t the have “colored people” on there in honor of the NAACP?
I have heard many black people refer to each other as “n-gg—r” so they should have that on the list, too. Want to be inclusive, didn’t they say?
Yes, a few years ago I had a Benjamin-Moore paint chart that had my color on it. I forget the name. My winter color is a bit lighter.
Yes, it's true. If you are talking with someone who you know is not from America and is black, do not call that person an "African-American".
Anyway, the term "African-American" is an overused term, sometimes used in the most ridiculous ways. I was watching a crime show on TV the other day, and the narrator described the hair discovered at the crime scene as "African-American", as if the hair has the flag from the USA attached to it.
What if the guy who did the crime was from the Dominican Republic or Jamaica?
Most private sector job apps don’t ask for race. Government job apps always ask for race.
At least we got a chance to hear opinions from Dawud, Jabbar Ali and Chanou. How many other categories should we create for people as mixed up as these.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.