The federal government has recently reclassified race and ethnicity groups in order to more accurately reflect the diversity of the United States. However, there are some groups who believe that these changes do not fully address their concerns.
The Hmong, Armenian, Black Arab, and Brazilian communities in the U.S. are expressing their dissatisfaction with the official numbers, claiming that they are not accurately represented. Although the revisions were widely praised, these communities argue that the changes have resulted in a discrepancy between how the federal government categorizes them and how they define themselves.
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- 1 HMONG AND THE SECRET WAR
- 2 THE EXCLUDED BACKGROUNDS
- 3 MANY BRAZILIANS IDENTIFY AS HISPANIC
HMONG AND THE SECRET WAR
In the 1970s, numerous Hmong people made their new homes in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and central California. Presently, there are over 300,000 Hmong individuals residing in the United States. To honor their contributions, certain states hold annual ceremonies to recognize Hmong and Lao veterans. Furthermore, in April, the governor of Wisconsin passed a law that makes it mandatory for schools to teach Hmong American history.
Many Hmong individuals have a strong belief that they should be classified as Southeast Asian due to their history of fighting in that region for the U.S. However, the U.S. Census Bureau categorized them as East Asian after the 2020 census, as China is considered their ancestral homeland.
According to Thao, our community remains one of the most impoverished in the nation.
The Census Bureau is collaborating with the Hmong community to enhance their classification.
THE EXCLUDED BACKGROUNDS
In March, the government made its first major revision to its race and ethnicity standards since 1997. Among the seven categories, a new one was introduced, Middle Eastern or North African (MENA). These revisions also emphasized the importance of collecting detailed data on respondents’ backgrounds, including specific subgroups such as African American, Jamaican, and Haitian within the Black category.
Black Arabs from countries such as Somalia and Sudan, as well as Armenians, were not included in the new MENA category. This decision was made based on a field test conducted by the Census Bureau in 2015, which found that most Armenians still identified as white and most Somali and Sudanese respondents identified as Black, even when the MENA category was available.
Advocates argue that the exclusion of Black Arabs from the MENA category is rooted in outdated research.
For many Armenian Americans, the absence of a distinct category poses a significant concern as their diaspora’s culture is heavily concentrated in the United States. Ethnic Armenians also have strong communities across Europe and the Middle East, notably in Lebanon.
Sophia Armen, chair of the Census Taskforce of the Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region, warns that excluding Armenians from the MENA subcategories could result in many individuals identifying themselves as being from a different country. This omission could potentially decrease their official population figures and weaken their influence in the redrawing of political districts in areas with significant Armenian communities.
Armen expressed concern over the potential undercounting of hundreds of thousands of people, which he believes will result in the gradual erosion of Armenian identity in the coming generations.
In the recent redistricting process that took place after the 2020 census, the Armenian community in greater Los Angeles, which is home to the largest population of Armenians outside of Armenia, faced the potential of being divided across different city districts. However, their concerns prompted a modification of the redistricting plan. The Armenian American population in the United States is estimated to be around 460,000, with approximately half residing in California, according to the 2022 American Community Survey.
Accurate identification of data is crucial for local health departments as it can impact various aspects, including targeted vaccination outreach in the appropriate language and the customization of health campaigns for specific communities.
MANY BRAZILIANS IDENTIFY AS HISPANIC
Michelle Bueno Vรกsquez, a Ph.D. candidate in political science at Northwestern University, highlighted the exclusion of Brazilians and Haitians from the definition of Hispanic or Latino. This omission leads to the underrepresentation of Afro-Latinos in official counts, according to her letter to the Office of Management and Budget.
“The current state of the OMB falls short in addressing the needs of Latinos, particularly Afro-Latinos who face the burden of dual discrimination and marginalization in the United States,” she expressed.
Last month, an advisory committee of the Census Bureau made several recommendations, including conducting research on the effects of categorizing Brazilians as Hispanic.
Armen expressed frustration with the way policy decisions are made, emphasizing the importance of data-driven approaches. He felt that certain individuals, including himself, were being intentionally overlooked in the classification process.
