With the horrors in Haiti, the U.S. Census "Negro" controversy would seem to be a pretty nonexistent issue at the moment...on the surface at least.

Many eyebrows raised recently with the inclusion of the term "Negro" on the 2010 U.S. Census form, but what about the fact that there is only one line to describe our entire identity. Aside from being an outdated term, Negro does not tie me in to a particular nation of origin. There is no nation or continent called "Negro" or "black" or any one of these related terms.

Several months ago, while riding the subway, a man who was eavesdropping on a conversation I was having with someone about my Nigerian parents told me that because I was born in America, I could not claim to be any part Nigerian. I disagreed. I have two Nigerian parents who have instilled culture in me from the beginning. I would never deny my culture, my parents and all those who came before me just so someone else can feel comfortable. When you have no perceived origin or are not willing to claim or reclaim a place of origin, then your history is up for grabs and can and will be written by someone else, without your input. Eventually, you may be written out of your own history -- as if you never existed.

Recently, I interviewed the director of the U.S. Census Bureau, Dr. Robert M. Groves, about the Bureau's outreach efforts in African diasporic communities in the United States. Before then, I had attended an outreach forum in Harlem aimed at ensuring an accurate census count of Africans in the 2010 U.S. Census and increasing African participation in the census to advocate for better U.S. policies toward Africa. Questions were raised at that forum regarding the use of the term Negro, and Groves mentioned that at the time of the 2000 U.S. Census, research undertaken by the bureau had identified a cohort of older African Americans who still identified as Negro. Approximately 50,000 older African Americans wrote in Negro on the "other" line in the race category.

Dr. Groves spoke about barriers in reaching the black community because of the diversity. The U.S. Census Bureau has partnered with 164,000 partner organizations on both the national and local level, including faith-based organizations, to discuss why census participation is important, according to Groves. He mentioned that the focus of this year's research was to measure race and ethnicity.

"We need to stay current. Race questions involve how people see themselves and call for a lot of input from communities impacted."

Our community is quite diverse, that is why I advocate for more than a one line option, which is the current option on this year's census: "Black, African American, or Negro." One line.

On this year's form, Asians have a number of options to choose from, including "Japanese," "Korean," "Chinese," "Filipino" and so forth. Someone who claims Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin can check "Cuban," "Puerto Rican," "Mexican" or choose another "Hispanic," "Latino" or "Spanish" origin, with such examples as "Argentinean," "Colombian," "Dominican," "Nicaraguan" and "Salvadoran."

The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Revisions to the Standards for the Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity outlines exactly whom they consider Negro:

"The OMB accepts the following recommendations concerning the term or the terms to be used for the name of the Black category: The name of the Black category should be changed to 'Black or African American.' The category definition should remain unchanged. Additional terms, such as Haitian or Negro can be used if desired."

Furthermore, OMB states that if you are black or African American, you have origins in the "black racial groups of Africa." If you are White, you have origins in "Europe, the Middle East or North Africa."

Really?

This attempt to divy up Africa is a device to cover up the true diversity of African people all over the world.

According to biological anthropologist, Dr. S.O.Y. Keita, "The people of all of the regions of Africa show interconnections. There is no one way to be African. On some level, the census can actually be accused of engaging in constructing identities when it comes to Africa based on an older non-evolutionary Eurocentric anthropology, which implies that northern Africa is not connected to the rest of Africa. Is the purpose of the census to accurately describe the personal identities of individuals or is it to construct and give identities to people so as to fit into already existing social systems, rooted in past beliefs?"

Groves is right that there is diversity in our communities, and therefore, the challenges to outreach are quite diverse as well.

When we say black, what does that mean? In 1969, James Brown said, "Say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud." Brown was signifying that it was okay to be black wherever you were from. He was turning a term that had received a negative connotation into something positive. I dig this and what Brown said at that time was tremendously important. The use of the term "black" is quite complex. We can talk about black as a noun or category of affiliation, and we can talk about black as an adjective in the physical sense.

Black in the American context has been used to identify a group of people that includes those who would fit easily in to the regions of West Africa, as well as people who look like Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. and other Africans in America with light skin or those with blue eyes. Curiously, Latinos from Mexico to Paraguay, whom we know to have multiple ancestries, including Africa, have not been required to adhere to a one-drop rule like African descendants in America have had to.

For me, the controversy over inclusion of the term Negro on the 2010 U.S. Census form illuminates a much larger issue: that of identity and whom is constructing identity, as opposed to allowing others to define themselves for themselves, particularly as it relates to the African continent and African descendants.