The Biden administration last week announced a major change in how Americans will be able to identify themselves on the 2030 census and other federal forms. With the update, there will be two new options available under the “race” category: “Middle Eastern or North African” (“MENA”) and “Hispanic or Latino.” It’s a change that’s a long time coming as millions of Americans have felt unrepresented in the previous choices.
It’s also a shift that is sure to prompt backlash among right-wing agitators, specifically white supremacists, as the changes are likely to result in a surface-level drop in the number of Americans who are counted as “white” in comparison to previous years. Even as the revision paints a more accurate picture of the country, it’s also the sort of thing conspiracy theorists and loyalists of former President Donald Trump tend to grasp onto as proof of a so-called plot against white America.
It’s also a shift that is sure to prompt backlash among right-wing agitators, specifically white supremacists.
The most visible effect will likely come from the Census Bureau, which is part of the Department of Commerce. Before last week, the Office of Management and Budget, whose standards the Census follows, recognized five categories for data on race: American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Black or African American; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; and White. It also recognized two categories for ethnicity: Hispanic or Latino and non-Hispanic or Latino. Since the 2000 census, participants have been allowed to select more than one option for race. Moving forward, Americans faced with this question will be encouraged to select as many options as possible for how they identify, according to a White House blog post.
The overwhelming majority of Americans are still selecting only one option for race, according to the Census Bureau’s most recent official estimates of the U.S. population. By that measure, 75.5% of Americans…
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