The question “Hispanic or Latino?” was often followed by another: “White, black, Native American, Asian, or some other race?” In this way, Hispanics had to answer two questions about their identity in different types of questionnaires, both to cover legal processes and to apply for jobs. But as of last March 28, they have been implemented new standards, in what constitutes the first change that the United States census has made in 27 years. From now on, “Hispanic or Latino” becomes a single category for race and ethnicity. The next census will be carried out in 2030.
This is an initiative that began to be considered when former President Barack Obama was still in the Government, was paralyzed once Donald Trump assumed the presidency and was resumed under current President Joe Biden. The need for a change stemmed from a problem that was increasing over time: the majority of Hispanics were hesitant, believing that the questions about race and ethnic origin were similar and tended to choose the “some other race” option. In fact, from 2010 to 2020, the population that identified as “some other race” increased by 129%, surpassing the black or African American population. In total, there were 49.9 million people opting for this option, which showed that this classification has generated confusion and erroneous answers for decades.
Through this new approach, respondents can select several categories to refer to what they recognize as their racial/ethnic identity, but checking the single box of Hispanic or Latino is considered a complete response. Although the new standards are now in effect, there are 18 months for agencies to design plans to implement them, followed by up to a five-year deadline to carry them out. Hispanic has to do with language and concerns anyone who comes from a Spanish-speaking country. In fact, the word Hispanic has its origin in Hispania, which is what Spain was called in ancient times. According to this, Spaniards are Hispanic, but Brazilians are not. In the United States, the administration of President Richard Nixon (1969-1974) was the first to use the term Hispanic, which was then introduced for the first time in the 1980 census.
On the other hand, the term Latin American is related to geographical location, and refers to all those people born in Latin America, so it would include Brazilians but not Spaniards. However, both Latin Americans, Spaniards, French, Italians, Romanians and Portuguese could be considered Latin, because they all speak languages derived from Latin. In this sense, the current category of Hispanic or Latino seeks to avoid doubts.
According to a study conducted by Pew Research Center in 2019, 47% of respondents specifically identify as their country of origin compared to 39% who identify as Hispanic or Latino, which exemplifies the complexity of using a single category for this group. However, although the recent change does not delve into the nuances, the main objective is to identify all Hispanics or Latinos as a single group. This, which for some is a step forward, has generated doubts among various organizations that consider that the category “Latino or Hispanic” does not identify race, which will contribute to making the Afro-Latino population even more invisible, already underrepresented in the census.
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