Posted by Tina
Many conservatives are turned off by the divisive nature of the race question on the census and are vowing to check the “other” box and write in “American”. I figured this would cause an uproar of some kind but surprisingly the big uproar, at least for now, is coming from minority groups that have taken offense at some of the choices regarding race, or the lack thereof. As reported by KCRA in Sacramento:
Questions about race on the 2010 U.S. Census form are offending and confusing people in both the Latino and African American communities. ** Some in the African American community are offended by the use of the word negro as a race option. ** Many Latinos are both offended and confused because the form doesn’t include the words Latino, Hispanic or Spanish as a boxed option on the race question.
The choice to make this little protest, to mark “other/American” on the form, will be made from a strong sentiment that we believe in equality and the rights of every human being as laid down by our forefathers. It will be made because of a strong desire to see Americans think of ourselves as a unique group having a singular and profound heritage, whether by birth or adoption. Removing race from the question signals our commitment to that unity and desire to see divisions fall away within our country. We cannot hope to reflect the values of our founding if we continue to think in terms of race and segregation. Our government should operate in terms of our shared national interests, not in terms of racial groups. This small protest could represent a small but important step in seeing our citizens live as proud Americans of every race, color, and creed. If you are incensed by the census consider the other choice…American!