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Census Bureau Says Term Added Because It Was Written In On 2000 Forms
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The use of the term "negro" on the 2010 census form has sparked controversy.
This year, the U.S. Census Bureau will ask the nation's more than 300 million residents to fill out a 10-question form that determines how the federal government doles out its money.
On question 9 -- "What is Person 1's race?" -- the second option reads: "Black, African-Am., or Negro."
"The fact that it's 2010 and they're still putting 'negro,' I am a little offended," Secaucus, N.J., resident Dawud Ingram told WCBS-TV. "African-Americans haven't been going by the term 'negro' for decades now. It's really confusing."
Census officials said that "Negro" was offered as an option because many people wrote in "Negro" on their 2000 census forms. A spokeswoman added that the questions were "tested ad nauseum," and that including the term "outweighed the negatives."
"Some prefer it because of their complexion, whether they're light-skinned or dark," said Jeanne R. Stanley, a retiree in Richmond, Va., told Fox News. "Others still have a slave mentality. There are a lot of people who still have a color complex."
But many younger Americans are angered by the use of the term.
"I find the word 'Negro' to be quite offensive when it comes to the census and separating and differentiating among races because of the history of the use of the word," said Taryn Anthony, a 25-year old graduate student. "I've yet to hear someone use it in a respectable manner, so placing it on a census seems as yet another way to set back African-Americans."
The bureau, which operates under the Commerce Department, is considering whether to remove the term for the next census in 2020.
'Negro' On Census Form Offends Some - Jacksonville News Story - WJXT Jacksonville
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The use of the term "negro" on the 2010 census form has sparked controversy.
This year, the U.S. Census Bureau will ask the nation's more than 300 million residents to fill out a 10-question form that determines how the federal government doles out its money.
On question 9 -- "What is Person 1's race?" -- the second option reads: "Black, African-Am., or Negro."
"The fact that it's 2010 and they're still putting 'negro,' I am a little offended," Secaucus, N.J., resident Dawud Ingram told WCBS-TV. "African-Americans haven't been going by the term 'negro' for decades now. It's really confusing."
Census officials said that "Negro" was offered as an option because many people wrote in "Negro" on their 2000 census forms. A spokeswoman added that the questions were "tested ad nauseum," and that including the term "outweighed the negatives."
"Some prefer it because of their complexion, whether they're light-skinned or dark," said Jeanne R. Stanley, a retiree in Richmond, Va., told Fox News. "Others still have a slave mentality. There are a lot of people who still have a color complex."
But many younger Americans are angered by the use of the term.
"I find the word 'Negro' to be quite offensive when it comes to the census and separating and differentiating among races because of the history of the use of the word," said Taryn Anthony, a 25-year old graduate student. "I've yet to hear someone use it in a respectable manner, so placing it on a census seems as yet another way to set back African-Americans."
The bureau, which operates under the Commerce Department, is considering whether to remove the term for the next census in 2020.
'Negro' On Census Form Offends Some - Jacksonville News Story - WJXT Jacksonville