'Race, Ethnicity, & Prejudice\r'

'Race, Ethnicity, and Prejudice-Online Project At one layer in time the U. S. Census defined individual as a â€Å"negro” if they were one- 16th black. That is, if one of your sixteen great-great grandpargonnts was of African seam (and the other fifteen were of â€Å" washrag” European descent), you were defined as â€Å"negro”. In Jamaica, muckle believed to be of â€Å"pure” African descent argon described as black. People who argon bi-racial are usually described as â€Å" diagonal”. In Brazil, thither are even to a greater extent differentiations 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 exchange over time. This does not mean that aftermath and culturality oblige no real meaning. They have meaning because we pull in them meaning. 1. What method do numerate enumerators use to break st ack according to race? A number enumerator is a person who collects count data. onward 1960, census enumerators were themselves responsible for classifying hatful 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 classified individuals, but individuals who classified themselves. Census enumerators would just compose the results. 2. Which categories of ethnicity are used by the census power? The categories of ethnicity and race used by the census authorization have undergone numerous changes over the years. At first, from 1790 to 1880, the census recorded only if â€Å"color. ” During this time period it was a person’s skin color that was of splendour and there were three categories: White, Black, and Mulatto.The categories expanded in 1890 and consisted of fivesome gradations: Black, Mulatto, Quadroon, Octoroon, and Wh ite. It was in 1900 that the word â€Å"race” actually appeared in the census. The question now asked for each person’s â€Å"color or race. ” At this time the census used only two categories: White and Black. It wasn’t until 1950 that the word â€Å"color” was completely dropped and the census only asked for the person’s race. In 1960 people were capable to classify themselves. Shortly following the census added the division â€Å"other. In 1977 there were four racial categories naturalised: American Indian or Alaskan Native, Asiatic or Pacific islander, Black, and White. Plus there was the â€Å"former(a)” fellowship. 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 still reflected the transmut ation 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 â€Å" close to Other Race” is also included. In regards to ethnicity, there are two categories: Hispanic or Latino, and non Hispanic or Latino. Aside from changes in the categories, another(prenominal) significant change for the 2000 census is that respondents are allowed to checker off multiple â€Å"race” boxes. 4. What problems do you feel with the Census definitions? The diversity in our society is increasing.Putting people in categories is becoming more problematic because the categories are arbitrary; none of the groups have clear or unambiguous boundaries. Classifying people into a certain category is restrictive and doesn’t take into account that â€Å"people classified as â €Å"Asian and Pacific Islander” represent scores of different national and lingual backgrounds, and â€Å"American Indian or Alaska Native” includes people from hundreds of different tribal groups” (Healey 13). The census definitions are really limiting and they don’t 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 learn that it is unrealistic to have a category for both single group, but we should realize that the definitions used by the census, the classification schemes, have limited utility and application. In addition, there is a growing number of mixed-race individuals for whom there are no categories. Although currently that number is comparatively small, it is projected to increase rapidly due to a growing number of marriages across group lines.How should those individuals be classif ied? Sources: Healey, Joseph F. (2010). Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Class: The Sociology of Group Conflict and Change. (5th Ed. ). pine away Forge Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc. Sweet, Frank W. (2011, Feb. 25). A Brief History of Census â€Å"Race”. Retrieved from http://knol. google. com/k/a-brief-history-of-census-race U. S. Census Bureau, Population Division. Racial and Ethnic Classifications utilise in Census 2000 and Beyond. Retrieved from http://www. census. gov/population/www/socdemo/race/racefactcb. html\r\n'