The #UnitedStates federal government updated how it classifies people by #race & #ethnicity for the 1st time in over a quarter-century, aiming to better capture an increasingly #diverse country & give policymakers a fuller view of the #Americans their work impacts.
The #OMB will combine Qs about #race & #ethnicity on fed forms & encourage people to select multiple options if applicable. The govt also will add “#MiddleEastern or #NorthAfrican” (#MENA) a new category…which will include 7 choices.
“This is truly a momentous day” said Meeta Anand, snr dir for #census & data #equity at the Leadership Conference on Civil & #HumanRights, a natl coalition of >200 #CivilRights grps. The combined question, she added, is “one of the biggest changes we’ve ever seen.”
Karin Orvis, the #UnitedStates’ chief statistician, said in a Thurs blog post on the WH website that the revision will “enhance our ability to compare information & data across federal agencies, & also to understand how well federal programs serve a #diverse#America.”
… Such data guides how federal ofcls analyze everything from #HealthCare outcomes to the redrawing of #CongressionalDistricts.
From the The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights:
“These changes will not only allow more people to see themselves reflected in federal data collection, but will offer incredibly important information about America's racial & ethnic diversity to better meet everyone's needs.”
LCCHR blog on the impact:
The Decades-Long Fight for Accurate Race & Ethnicity Data
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