"US Introduces New Race and Ethnicity Categories in Census Overhaul"
Originally Published 1 year ago — by NPR
The Biden administration has approved changes to the U.S. census and federal surveys, including adding a checkbox for "Middle Eastern or North African" and reformulating the question about race and ethnicity to include a "Hispanic or Latino" box. These changes, set to be implemented by 2030, aim to better reflect people's identities and could impact data used for redrawing voting districts, enforcing civil rights protections, and guiding policymaking. The revisions also include new definitions for racial and ethnic categories, but some unresolved questions and tensions remain, particularly regarding the "Middle Eastern or North African" category and the combination of race and ethnicity questions.