(Jan. 6) -- As the government prepares to roll out the 2010 Census on March 15, one of the 10 questions on the form already has people cringing. Question 9 asks respondents to designate their race and gives them the option of choosing "Negro," a term many have considered derogatory and antiquated for years.
The question asks "What is person 1's race?" Of the 15 possible options, one is "Black, African Am., or Negro."
The Office of Management and Budget sets racial definitions for the Census Bureau and all federal statistical reporting. In its standards, it says a "Black or African American" person is "A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. Terms such as 'Haitian' or 'Negro' can be used in addition to 'Black or African American.'"
A U.S. Census Bureau spokesperson told the Web site The Grio that while the word "Negro" may be old-fashioned, there are still people who prefer to use it to identify themselves. She said the census questions were well-tested and that it was determined that using the word "outweighed the potential negatives."
Still, to many the word "Negro" is a throwback to Lester Walton's days, to slavery, Jim Crow laws and segregation.
"I don't think my ancestors would appreciate it in 2010," Pamela Reese Smith, a 56-year-old Rochester, N.Y., native, told the New York Daily News. "I don't want my grandchildren being called Negroes."
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The question asks "What is person 1's race?" Of the 15 possible options, one is "Black, African Am., or Negro."
The Office of Management and Budget sets racial definitions for the Census Bureau and all federal statistical reporting. In its standards, it says a "Black or African American" person is "A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. Terms such as 'Haitian' or 'Negro' can be used in addition to 'Black or African American.'"
A U.S. Census Bureau spokesperson told the Web site The Grio that while the word "Negro" may be old-fashioned, there are still people who prefer to use it to identify themselves. She said the census questions were well-tested and that it was determined that using the word "outweighed the potential negatives."
Still, to many the word "Negro" is a throwback to Lester Walton's days, to slavery, Jim Crow laws and segregation.
"I don't think my ancestors would appreciate it in 2010," Pamela Reese Smith, a 56-year-old Rochester, N.Y., native, told the New York Daily News. "I don't want my grandchildren being called Negroes."
Top Headlines, U.S., World, Politics, Entertainment and Sports News - AOL News
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