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Census Bureau gives minorities an assurance

A P Kamath

With most of America's 115 million homes should will have the census questionnaire packages by the end of the week, the Census Bureau has given an assurance to the minorities. Those who designate themselves as white and a minority will be counted as minorities when the government analyzes patterns of discrimination in job bias laws and other civil rights measures.

Thus, if the children of a white father and Asian American mother counted themselves in two categories, they will be counted as Asian Americans.

Though the Census Bureau expects only two per cent of respondents to check two boxes, but the change had raised questions about how anyone who checks more than a single box will be counted.

Indian community leaders had joined African Americans and other minorities in demanding that the multiple census entry, which has been introduced for the first time, would not reduce the number of minorities.

"Indian Americans are marrying outside their community in significant numbers," says Dr Navin Shah, community leader and former president of the Association of American Physicians of Indian Origin.

"There are more children of mixed raced in our community than we imagine. And the trend looks as if it will continue."

Sally Katzen, counselor to an official agency dealing with minority businesses, described the directive as a way to promote full enforcement of civil rights laws in a simple and direct manner.

"We are not cutting anybody in half, and we are not counting anybody twice," she told the media.

The directive resulted from the extensive discussions civil rights leaders had with more than two dozen government agencies that deal with, among other issues, education, employment and health.

She was asked why would people be counted as minority for civil rights purposes, even though they designated themselves both minority and white.

She said it was because "the group that has been in the past historically discriminated against." Such a group might still need government assistance. If the members of the group are not counted because they had a father or mother who was white, the group's head count could come down -- unless the new census offer is not taken seriously.

In another development, Kenneth Prewitt, the Census Bureau director, warned of deceptive mailings. The real census form comes in an envelope with a Department of Commerce return address and the Census 2000 logo, he said.

"We have designed a distinctive-looking package," said Prewitt, "so everyone will know that this, and only this, is the official census form with a bar code for their household."

For more information, check www.census.gov

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