American Diversity & the 2000 Census
The 2000 American Census was indeed a critical one especially for Hispanics. For the first time, the 2000 Census, ”…allowed individuals to select more than one racial or ethnic affiliation for themselves.” This was extremely critical because many people who were multiracial, were able to closely identify themselves, thus categorize themselves in a sufficient manner. Hispanics were not as lucky as many other races during the 2000 Census. The Census confused Hispanics because many could not figure out how to identify themselves, thus categorizing themselves with other races. Back then, the Census confused many Mexicans because when the Census did not have a “Hispanic” category, many Mexicans were advised to categorize themselves as “White.”
During class we were fortunate to study each race definition according to the 2000 American Census. The information was startling to me as well as for my peers. The category “White” had individuals from the Middle East included. Normally, today we categorize them separately. Also, individuals from Pakistan would categorize themselves under the “Asians” category. Today, many people hear Pakistan and link it to the Middle East, yet, according to the 2000 Census, it was under the “Asians” category.
Great news for Hispanics was announced following the 2000 Census. The number of individuals who categorize themselves as Hispanic, for the first time, “…Surpassed blacks in number…Hispanics rose to 35.5 million, a 61% increase in 10 years…[while]blacks rose by 16% to 34.7 million.” Interracial marriage was increasing during this time, thus resulting in an increase in the amount of people choosing more than one race. All of this information is evident in this article. In the next Census scheduled for 2010, we will definitely see a great difference in the categories.
