Return-Path: <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.9.3/8.9.0.Beta5/980425bjb) with SMTP id BAA24359; Sun, 19 Mar 2000 01:38:11 -0500 (EST) Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2000 01:38:11 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <a8.2a6dfab.2605cf2e@aol.com> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Amspell@aol.com To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-ESL:4275] Re: Yikes...the census...Help! X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: AOL 4.0 for Windows 95 sub 61 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Status: OR In a message dated 3/17/00 5:50:46 PM Eastern Standard Time, ivoc@pil.net writes: > I'm participating in the 2000 Census, because this time my wife can check both > Vietnamese and Chinese, which she couldn't do in 1990, and my children can > mark Vietnamese, Chinese, and Other: European American. I joined them as an > Other: European American. > In 1990 and 2000 I have encouraged all my friends, neighbors, social work clients, > and ESL students to fill out the census form and be counted. My only problem is > with the racist language and would happily work from within to change the > language. I just don't know where within is, nor could I find within between the > two censuses. I'd love to know how to be part of the conversation to make the > 2010 less racist and less embarrassing. I have always taught limited English > speaking friends and ESL students that some people think and talk "red and > yellow, black and white", but that I don't and they shouldn't. Two or three years ago, there was a heated debate -- i think at the federal level and i think regarding census wording -- about the proposed use of the term "multiracial" or "multiethnic".....not sure which. But i plainly recall that various leaders raised a stink, a racially-charged stink if i'm not mistaken, that such changes would dilute a statistically significant segment of ethnic blocks regarding set-asides, entitlements, etc. In other words, the fear was that many people would check off on the truer -- if more generalized -- "multiethnic" (or "multiracial") box and thus reduce the clout of various ethnic groups in annual distribution cattlecalls. In short, you'll have your work cut out for you, and maybe your head handed to you, if you're hoping to change the terminology; too much vested interest by some or all of the ethnic leaders-- including "white" leaders (as if "white" is not an ethnicity). I'll recommend that you do what i'm doing to be accounted for while fighting the power of ethnicism in the census: answer everything save for the ethnicity queries, but be prepared to say "it's hard to say" or "that's a tough question" when they call to ask about your ethnicity later on. My guess is that, when push comes to shove, they will listen to your voice and guess at your ethnicity; worse still, i fear that it is quite easy to check your name against other data to determine your ethnicity. Fair enuff, if it means that much to them. But at least they aren't sure and at least divestment is good for the soul. Partial divestment is okay by me. Count me in, but count my ethnicity, sexual preferences, religion, etc. etc. out of it. Joe
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