What Do You Think of These Racial Stats?

Here is the problem with the census. It is not like they can come back and say prove it. I know where I work there is a mother (white) and her two daughters (bi-racial (black and white). The girls put down only black. The one daughter has two daughters (black and Hispanic) that she also lists as black.

Now this is one person that one person knows, can you imagine how messed up the whole thing is?

I awlays mark my son down as black even though I'm white. And I hate "mixed" it sounds like you're talking about a puppy instead of a kid... But no I don't have anything better either, Biracial and Multiracial sound clunky....

Some people may have answered the question like I did.
My sons are from the "Human Race". So is my husband. So am I. I did not specify a race.

It depends on how the person answered the survey. What you consider a 'mixed race' might not be considered mixed, especially in the African-American community. There is a perspective in the black community that if the child has 1 drop of black blood, then she/he is considered black. I think its called the 'one drop rule'. I'm not trying to make a comment about that perspective (you can google it if you want more information), I only want to acknowledge that I've heard it often referenced (usually by someone who is African-American). I think the most recent time I heard about it was involving the actress Halle Barry and her custody battle over her daughter:

In a new interview with EBONY Magazine, Berry says (via TMZ), "I feel she's Black. I'm Black and I'm her mother, and I believe in the one-drop theory." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/08/halle-berry-daug...

My point is, the racial statistics are contingent on how the responder answered the question. If they responder doesn't consider themselves or their children to be a mixed race, then they will answer and put themselves in one main category. And perhaps, instead of thinking this applies to mainly black & white ethnicities, the 2% could refers more to interracial children with Asian, Native Americans, Indian, Pacific Islander, etc., descent.

My tenants have to fill out an ethnicity page when they move in to my apartment complex. I find it odd that many of mixed race (visually to me) always put white as their ethnicity.
I worked for the census bureau back in 2000, and it's amazing the false answers that people put down on their paperwork. Unfortunately everyone is not honest, but I don't really understand why we should care in this day and age. People are people. Right?

I will see if I can find an article about how the Census is trying to find a way to count people as they REALLY are..

Because of the way the Census is set up, if people were born in the US , but are of Hispanic or Asian or other ethnic backgrounds.. heritage.. many times they list themselves as Anglo.. Because they do not even speak those other languages.. Does this make sense?

Also young people of mixed races now have a hard time deciding on what box they fit into..

Our daughter and some friends actually started a group at her college that is for mixed race students.. The variety is amazing.. Pretty exciting actually.

On the last Census these students said that sometimes they marked mixed, African American and Anglo. So 3 boxes for 1 person, but what did the Govt, mark them?

They had a conference at Harvard and met so many more mixed students and all discussed that they do not fit into a census. When filling out Federal forms or when asked their background the list can be long because even THEIR parents are mixed.. so how to choose? What needs to change? And does it matter?

She says the whole "Census Conversation" was one of the longest discussions.. They are hoping eventually, you will have choices or you can fill in the blanks as you want to match how you identify yourself.. And the US will count it..

She says each student said they identify as a certain race just based on what feels right to them and each one was for personal reasons or feeling..

She also said to let you all know, she is "Super excited you moms are talking about this, because it is very important to her and her friends that are mixed race."

She also says "many people just cannot understand how personal and sometimes how hard it is to tell your own family how you identify yourself when mixed.". They "do not want to hurt feelings or insult anyone, especially loved ones".

I

We have lots of mixed race couples here.
I believe I read that the way that is calculated is being revamped.

I think it's really a false stat. I think most people tend to claim one race/ethnicity. I always claim caucasion, but in actuality, I'm enough American Indian (1/16) that I could claim it for scholarships, tribal membership, casino ownership, etc. But I don't because I have really no attachment to the way back Cherokee side of my family. So technically, I am mixed, but always claim caucasion. When I worked in a school, people usually only claimed one ethnicity, when often times it is obvious there are two (such as AA and Asian). They actually rarely claimed mixed, when I knew for certain they were.

That does seems really weird to me too, but then I'm in CA. Yes, I see tons of 'mixed' kids.
It reminds me of my BIL telling me the other day how he refused to mark a box when enrolling my niece in school b/c she's mixed race and he didn't know how to choose one. (they told him he had to in order to enroll though- seems so outdated). I couldn't believe this census is the first (I believe) to allow for a mixed answer, and I also thought it would turn up much more. Interesting.
I guess that 73% helps explain some of the shocking things I hear about on the news (just people being intolerant of others). Puts where I live in perspective a bit!

We do see it here, but probably not like you see it, from the way you describe it. In our area, there are MOSTLY white people, with quite a few people from India too.

No not in my town. There about as many black,Asian, Spanish people in my town as I have fingers and toes. We were vacationing in Hershey, PA with my oldest when he was 3 and we were talking with an elderly black couple when they left my son asked if they had eaten too much chocolate. So a few things to take into consideration are what's common in one area is not necessarily common everywhere, people aren't always truthful when they fill out the forms (do you even have to mark a race on those forms), lots of people consider themselves one more than they relate to the other (ex. A lady in my town is bi-racial yet she always refers to herself as black) and I'm sure there are few other things that would cause the numbers to be different from what you would think or to cause them to be skewed.

I don't see why they even ask why should race statistics matter? I don't care if your purple with pink polka dots :)

The only "mixed race" people you're seeing are people who chose that rather than marking a race on the census. I, for example, have a black mother and a white mother, but mark "black/African American" because despite my mother's race, I both present and identify as black.

There are LOTS of mixed people, but most of us don't see "mixed race" as the best descriptor of our race and will mark a specific race to identify with. They didn't give the option of saying mixed and THEN being counted in EACH race. If I choose "mixed race" or "multi racial" I'm saying I am more akin to someone who is mixed Chinese and Mexican than I am to other African Americans... that's just not accurate. (FTR, I believe President Obama also marked "black/African American")

Race is a social construct anyway... there's no right answer here... I'm just trying to clarify why the numbers look much lower than you would expect. I don't think it means there AREN't racially mixed couples and children, I think it means those children aren't claiming "mixed" as their race.

HTH
T.

I'm sure you know there's a difference between race and ethnicity. There are really only 3 races: White, Black and Asian.

Hispanic is an ethnicity - so Hispanics are white - thus the high count.

Then there are lots of ethnicities - Caucasian, African American, Chinese, Japanese, etc. That probably explains why white is so high. I am caucasian and married to a Hispanic so our kids are white. Then we get to the tricky ethnicity question and most places want us to check Hispanic for our kids.

My friend has mixed children and she told me that she hated filling out forms because they always ask about race. She said she put down white for her kids even though they are very dark skinned. I wonder how many people say something else in order to be rebellious or maybe that's not the right word.

We realize that we want to stop racism. A good start would be with thes US provided stats on race percentiages. I don't live very far from you (2 hrs south) so I am seeing the same things you are and its hard to believe that 73% is white.

I think that in Texas you have a higher population of Hispanic people. In Oklahoma we have a higher ratio of Native American than any other group. Then the further North and East you go the more Caucasian you find. So it is demographic I think.

There is over 305 million people in the US. 2% of that is around 6.1 million. That is A LOT of people! I live in an area with all kinds of races. It's very multicultural. However, there really aren't a lot of people who date outside their race, that I can tell. More then that, there aren't many people procreating outside their race. I also think the census is not very reliable. I didn't even do the census last year (totally forgot), and no one came knocking at my door for it. People don't really fill it out accurately. What about all the people that are illegal and don't fill it out? Or, homeless, transient, or otherwise don't have an address to get mail? They are all unaccounted for. What I'm saying, is I don't think the census can be relied on all that heavily.

I don't see many mixed couples or children in the metro Detroit area and I've lived here all my life. I do see more bi-racial children then I did 20 years ago, but it's still rare. I don't know if my area is still considered the most segregated area in the nation; I know it used to be. A vast majority of the people here, marry within their own race or culture. We are a very diverse multicultural area consisting of different types of europeans, blacks, middle eastern, asians and in the last 10 years, a huge populus of east indians have moved here. However, still most of the people tend to marry their own race/culture. I suspect that it will definitely change in the next 20 years as they assimilate.

I see what you are saying. The area I live in is much more racially diverse than that.

Well the thing is as race means, in the census is a lot of hispanic people who put white as their race, like myself and my kids , I always mark " Hispanic or latin and the race is white, I'm white but I'm Mexican but the meaning of the race is your complexion not your origin of country. and for Amanda G.: mexicans is not a race thats a misconception of geography, down the border is a whole lot of countries like salvador , Guatemala ,Argentina etc. Etc.

Well, in Hawaii, those stats differ.
Because, in the State of Hawaii... "mixed race" people, are a dime a dozen.
VERY common. VERY common.
It is a very exotic blend of ethnicity, here. And I am talking, many other ethnicities/races, other than Black or White.

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/15000.html

Just wanted to respond for my family...My hubby is Native American, and Hispanic, I am white, when we filled out the census we just checked the white box. We just checked the generic box which we most closely identify with. Obviously not, Black or Asian. Even for ethnicity we checked white. We do not identify with another culture, and it made sense to identify with how we felt, it's not really important to us anyway what we are. Because there is alot of diversity in my children we happily just tel them they are Americans!

I live in San Diego. We have anyone and everyone and anything in between here. There are times when you could never tell what race someone is by looking at them because there are that many influences.
The race category is outdated and irrelevant. A lot of people will just pick white and get it done with because they can't figure out what other box to check because none of them actually fit. I wish they would do away with it. It's as unneeded to ask as religion which they did do away with.

The racial stats are skewed but to whose advantage? I did a family check on Ancestry.com and went back to the 18th century (late 1880s) and found the 5th Census Report for my hometown (NJ) and they had things broken down into ethnics, origin or country, job, head of household. It was interesting to see people from Poland, Germany, England, Italy, France living on the same block with blacks and the neighborhood was and is still middle class in the 21st century.

The black/white goes back to slavery where if you had 32nd of black you were considered black even if you were blonde and blue eyed. This continues to this day. Also many of the mixed children feel more comfortable with one or the other side of the family (Asian/Indian/or whatever) and so they mark the boxes appropriately. This way the government could figure out how or who was using what to their advantage in giving aid. Our country has grown beyond these ideas and this part should be revamped. My grandson is mixed (black/white) my daughter dates outside the race and sees white/Hispanic/Asian/Italian men.

So maybe in another 50 years we will all be about the same color with similar features and medium curly to straight hair with slender bodies. This is just my observation. Oh this did happen to the slaves when they were not allowed to bring in more slaves from Africa.

It's whatever floats your boat. Maybe I have been around the block too long. But people are people and it is time that we get past who is what and how they look and look at what they all have in common.

My best to all you younger women and men on the site. It is up to you to help change the thinking.

The other S.

PS I now live in NM and there are more Hispanics, Native Americans and whites than blacks in percentages with Asians and East Indians.

I personally think that stat isnt correct. Here in NM the majority of people are Hispanic & Native American. White people are definatly the minority here.
My family is of many backgrounds, my husband is hispanic & I am white. When checking the ethnic background boxes for my kids I always check both hispanic & non hispanic, and everytime I get questioned about it. I actually had someone tell me in the hospital that I had to redo the birth certificate info sheet because my kids couldnt be both hispanic & non hispanic I could only check one box. So I redid it and checked both boxes again. My kids are both hispanic & nonhispanic I dont understand why they have to be one or the other

I think living in Texas kinda skews our ideas about the rest of the country. I mean here in San Antonio being Caucasian is being a minority.

They published the statistics for the various school districts and Hispanic was the majority well over 60%.

I know lots of African Americans and many people with "mixed" marriages/children...I think we are more of a melting pot than other parts of the country. Also being in big cities will effect your views on race.

I could care less about what you look like but totally about who you are inside. I easily pass for Hispanic, my best friend who is Hispanic doesn't look it at all, my kids are blond, my niece is half African American, my mother was always asked if she was Asian...these days you can never tell who has what back ground by just looking at them and I think that trend will continue as we become more color blind.

As others have said, I think what you are seeing is just what people CHOSE to represent themselves as.

If you think back to the Civil War, it was very common for the slaves to be fathered by the plantation master. So, in reality, unless an African American is FROM Africa, they are "mixed race". It is all how they chose to view themselves.

I am Caucasian, but I am of very mixed ancestry, as are most people in the United States. My father's parents came from Germany. My mother's parents are an English, Scots, Irish mix... not sure what all is in there.

Not being African American, of course I see this differently.

I do see many mixed race people... I just view them as people... as friends, neighbors, co-workers. I don't look at them as "Hispanic" or "African American" or "Asian".

My SIL adopted two bi-racial children. One puts down "white" on his paperwork, one puts down "African American". They are both the product of Caucasian and African American relationships (completely different parents, separate adoptions). That is how they see themselves. Is one of them wrong? I don't think so.

when I lived in Oregon, I hardly EVER saw a black person. Same with Utah. It would be pretty accurate for surrounding states too (Idaho, Washington, etc). A lot of the northern states don't have as many black people...as, like less than 1%, I swear! (not sure if it's really that many, but plenty of people there hadn't actually ever seen a black person - coming from the south, it was bizarre to me!).

My sister is white, her hubby is black...but we're back in TX now:-) I see a lot of mixed races. I wonder if people lie or something... But there are states, mostly northern states, where there really isn't much mix in race.

It's been my knowledge that whites are 'all white'. Blacks are either all black or some part of black, etc. etc. I'm part native american but didn't find that out til just a few yrs ago so all my life, I've put 'white'...now I'm confused, do I keep putting 'white' or do I change at this late time in my life? As far as percentages, I really don't care...people are who they are. Those that keep bringing 'race' into conversation are part of the problem, no offense. We can't worry about 'what percentage' there is of this race or that race. Just accept people as they are, people are just different colors b/c either they mix or b/c that's where the part of the world their ancestors happen to be from. I wouldn't worry about it, there are far more important things to worry over. Best wishes.

I have to agree I think those stats may be off, but I'm wondering is there a box to check for mixed races? I'm wondering if those that are mixed may check the box that they feel more comfortable with instead of other. Also I think the Hispanic population is much larger, but most likely a lot of illegal immigrants so they wouldn't be counted, would they? Or if they are counted I wonder if they are fibbing about the actual number in each household. Very interesting indeed!

That is for the whole USA, I think in some states whites predominate, down here in the South, from what I see, it is thirds, third white, third black, third spanish.
I wouldn't say I see lots of mixed kids, my son a girl in his class who has a black dad and a white mom, she is blonde with curly hair! He goes to a private school, and so my views may be skewed, but he has that one mixed kid, one hispanic, and the rest white!

I think that has to be wrong. Me and my husband are a mixed couple as well.. But maybe look at Texas only.. Because that doesn't sound anywhere close to correct.

I had to add. Why don't you like mixed? For medical or anything, I marked my kids as other or more than one. I don't tell them their black or white. I tell them their 50/50. Just thought I'd ask. I mean, if they grow up, do you wantnto lean more toward one side? I don't get it. Their mixed.

yeah i find it pretty shocking as well. i would have put the white , black and Mexican population in equal parts and Asian, , Indian, Native american, middle eastern...etc... in the smaller categories.

But i live in a big city and honestly my perception is probably off too, it is probably an equal portion here of the three main ones i mentioned.

White people put white. Also, other ethnicities are considered white. Mixed race or other ethnicity are sometimes offended by the question and write things like "human" or leave it blank... or they simply identify more with white since their option isn't listed. Where I live, it is extremely diverse.

This is something I have really noticed since we bought a second home in Colorado. Living in Sugar Land, my kids' schools are pretty much white/black/Hispanic/Asian in equal parts. When we are in Colorado-well, they say Colorado is all white and they aren't talking aout the snow. In the nearest small town there are no blacks in the high school,only a few in the town. My kids took an Asian friend up there this summer and she was considered pretty exotic. After I spent three straight weeks in Colorado and then came home-I was overwhelmed by the diversity upon walking into the mall on a Saturday evening. I had never noticed it before.
So, yes,it is very regional. Texas is a melting pot. We are close to the border and have major ports and major international businesses here. All of these factors contribute to our diversity. This is not the case in the middle of the US.