For the first time in 27 years, the U.S. government is changing how it categorizes people by race and ethnicity.

For the first time in 27 years, the U.S. government is changing how it categorizes people by race and ethnicity, an effort that federal officials believe will more accurately count residents who identify as Hispanic and of Middle Eastern and North African heritage.

The revisions to the minimum categories on race and ethnicity, announced Thursday by the Office of Management and Budget, are the latest effort to label and define the people of the United States. This evolving process often reflects changes in social attitudes and immigration, as well as a wish for people in an increasingly diverse society to see themselves in the numbers produced by the federal government.

  • @ErwinLottemann
    0•3 months ago

    as a european i always wondered why this is even asked…?
    is this important for taxes? for something else? just statistics?

    • LumunEnglish
      1•3 months ago

      These data are used for lots of stuff, including guaranteeing rights for protected classes, which in the US includes race.

      For example, you could use this info to prove that a redistricting is racist and illegal by showing that it unfairly groups areas of certain ethnicities into one district. Without official census data that includes race, anti-discrimination legislation would be harder to enforce in the courts.

      • @ErwinLottemann
        1•3 months ago

        oh that’s easy - tax stuff 😐

        do US forms not ask for the religion?

        to be clear, because it seems like you are a bit upset, i was not shitting on the usa to be doing this, there seem to be reasons, i just never understood why it is like this 🤷

        • @afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
          1•3 months ago

          Seems like a bunch of those countries there are also wanting to know what language you speak at home and the birth country of your parents.

          Got to say it is pretty messed up having money go to some fucking shaman coming out of your paycheck against your will. The only place religion should be is in a museum and given that the world has several Holocaust museums already we don’t need to build any for Christianity, just drag a Jesus statue in there.