Race, Ethnicity, & Prejudice Essay

At one point in duration the U. S. count defined someone as a negro if they were one-sixteenth black. That is, if one of your sixteen great-great grandp atomic number 18nts was of African declension (and the other fifteen were of white European descent), you were defined as negro. In Jamaica, people believed to be of pure African descent are described as black. People who are bi-racial are comm tho described as colored. In Brazil, in that respect are even more assortediations of those believed to be of African descent. The point of all this is that our definitions are culture-bound and socially constructed.They are, on that pointfore, not particularly scientific and channelise over time. This does not mean that race and ethnicity make up no real meaning. They have meaning because we give them meaning. 1. What method do census enumerators use to classify people according to race? A census enumerator is a person who collects census data. Before 1960, census enumerators were the mselves responsible for classifying people according to race. However, in 1960 there was a switch to self-reporting. From this point on, individuals were in control of classifying themselves.It was no longer the census enumerators who categorize individuals, but individuals who classified themselves. Census enumerators would just compile the results. 2. Which categories of ethnicity are apply by the census bureau? The categories of ethnicity and race used by the census bureau have undergone numerous changes over the years. At first, from 1790 to 1880, the census recorded just now color. During this time period it was a persons skin color that was of importance and there were triad categories White, Black, and Mulatto.The categories expanded in 1890 and consisted of five gradations Black, Mulatto, Quadroon, Octoroon, and White. It was in 1900 that the word race actually appeared in the census. The question nowadays asked for each persons color or race. At this time the census used only two categories White and Black. It wasnt until 1950 that the word color was completely dropped and the census only asked for the persons race. In 1960 people were able to classify themselves. Shortly following the census added the category other. In 1977 there were four racial categories established American Indian or Alaskan homegrown, Asian or pacific Islander, Black, and White. Plus there was the Other category. Also, the census added two ethnicity categories Hispanic origin and Not of Hispanic origin. 3. How have categories changed for the 2000 Census? Since 1977, the racial and ethnic makeup of the country changed significantly. There were no questions as to whether the previous standards lock in reflected the miscellanea that was present in the United States. So, with that, the categories for the 2000 census were revised.The categories now consisted of American Indian or Alaska Native Asian Black or African American Native Hawaiian or Other pacific Islander and White. The category of Some Other Race is also included. In regards to ethnicity, there are two categories Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino. Aside from changes in the categories, another significant change for the 2000 census is that respondents are allowed to check off multiple race boxes. 4. What problems do you see with the Census definitions? The diversity in our society is increasing.Putting people in categories is becoming more problematic because the categories are supreme none of the groups have clear or unambiguous boundaries. Classifying people into a certain category is suppressive and doesnt take into account that people classified as Asian and Pacific Islander symbolise scores of different national and linguistic backgrounds, and American Indian or Alaska Native includes people from hundreds of different tribal groups (Healey 13). The census definitions are very limiting and they dont do diversity justice. Also, there is still no place for a number of groups among the categories listed.For example, where should we place Arab Americans and recent immigrants from Africa? (Healey 13). I understand that it is phantasmagoric to have a category for every single group, but we should realize that the definitions used by the census, the salmagundi schemes, have limited utility and application. In addition, there is a ripening number of mixed-race individuals for whom there are no categories. Although currently that number is relatively small, it is projected to increase rapidly due to a growing number of marriages across group lines.How should those individuals be classified? Sources Healey, Joseph F. (2010). Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Class The Sociology of Group Conflict and Change. (5th Ed. ). Pine bring Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc. Sweet, Frank W. (2011, Feb. 25). A Brief History of Census Race. Retrieved from http//knol. google. com/k/a-brief-history-of-census-race U. S. Census Bureau, Population Division. Raci al and Ethnic Classifications Used in Census 2000 and Beyond. Retrieved from http//www. census. gov/population/www/socdemo/race/racefactcb. html.