Census to Drop 'Negro' After Backlash

Following the criticism it received for including the term "Negro" on 2010 forms, the Census Bureau is considering dropping the word from its surveys

According to Richard Prince's Journal-isms:

"A test embedded in the 2010 census will measure the effect of removing the term 'Negro' on reports about a person's racial identity." "The results will be used to inform design changes for future surveys and the 2020 Census. In the 2000 census, more than 50,000 persons chose to write down explicitly that they identified themselves as 'Negro'," the announcement continued.

Some people felt that the term was offensive. The Census Bureau argued that more than 56,000 people self-identified themselves as Negro during the last census by writing the term in. In addition, the word was included alongside African American and black on the same question, not as a separate entry. The Census Bureau says that similar research was not done during the 2000 census and that "such research is important to avoid unanticipated consequences of changing question wording on the outcome of a census."

The word itself is not offensive, just outdated. The Census Bureau should be applauded for trying to be as inclusive as possible, given that census data helps determine everything from school, road and hospital funding to congressional districts.

Racial identification in this country has always been tricky. Some people look at your skin color and automatically decide what race you are. The one-drop rule is alive and well, but individuals see things differently.

It's not like there is universal agreement over the terms "black" or "African American." Some people feel that "black" is not a realistic description of their actual color. Others say they don't feel connected enough to Africa to be called African Americans.

I wouldn't be surprised if in my lifetime another term arises to replace both.

As I said in an earlier piece, the Census Bureau should take steps to make sure younger blacks who may be offended by the term are not turned off so much that they refuse to fill out the questionnaire.

If the Census Bureau's tests reveal that fewer blacks took part in being counted because the word Negro was not on the questionnaire, then maybe it should stay on the form. I'm more concerned about properly funded schools.

And, like it or not, there are still people from earlier generations who refer to themselves as Negro.