This CNN story reveals some of the complications that crop up when the government asks people to state their race on government forms.
According to a new government report, some Census workers “incorrectly communicated” questions about race during face-to-face interviews, and others made assumptions about the race of interviewees based on appearance.
The story frames the problem as miscommunication and incorrect assumptions (one-drop rule redux?) about interviewees. The real problem is the government asking Americans to state their race. Not only should the government not ask about race, the more multiracial America becomes, the more difficult it will be to classify people along rigid racial or ethnic lines.
One of the Census Bureau’s frequently asked questions is why the Census asks about race. The answer (PDF):
“Information on race is required for many federal programs and is critical in making policy decisions, particularly for civil rights. States use these data to meet legislative redistricting principles. Race data also are used to promote equal employment opportunities and to assess racial disparities in health and environmental risks.”
Why is race critical in making policy decisions, and how does checking a box on a form “promote equal employment opportunities”? Government policy is supposed to be colorblind, and the law protects the rights of all individuals, regardless of race. If someone faces racial discrimination, he may seek redress. Checking a box on a government form doesn’t protect his rights.
As to racial disparities, they are not proof of discrimination. The government too often uses the existence of disparities as an excuse to grant preferences to people based on race. As some races are more susceptible to certain diseases, however, collecting race for medical data may be legitimate. But this exception doesn’t require people to check race boxes on forms unrelated to medical data collection.
Why haven’t “we the people” demanded our government stop the race-box practice? If you’re as frustrated about it as I am, sign the Decline to State Race petition, and let’s try to turn the project into a national movement. Government policy should be colorblind, but America won’t accomplish the goal unless we retire the government from the race business.
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“Retire the government from the race business” — a goal that is more than four decades overdue.
Equality, after all, is achieved when the government does not discriminate on the basis of color or race. That goal became reality with the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Any government interference beyond that legal mandate — may it be under the guise of “diversity”, inclusiveness, or equal representation — perpetuates an artificial racial divide that the majority of Americans have long surpassed. Checking a box to indicate one’s ethnic origin is one more blatant example of how the government undermines and ignores the citizens’ quest for racial unity. it is also the antithesis of King’s dream of a colorblind society.
I join La Shawn Barber in asking every American to sign the petition “Decline to State Race.” Let’s do it Now!
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