A Brief Treatise on Race

From a document marked FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY found on the U.S. Census Bureau web site. My comments in italics.

Why does the Census Bureau need to know my race?
Information on race is required for many Federal programs and is critical in making policy decisions, particularly for civil rights. States use these data to meet legislative redistricting principles. Race data also are used to promote equal employment opportunities and to assess racial disparities in health and environmental risks. Well, screw that.

What does the Census Bureau mean by race?
The concept of race as used by the Census Bureau reflects self-identification; it does not indicate any clear-cut scientific definition that is biological or genetic in reference. The data for race represents self-reporting by people according to the race or races with which they most closely identify. After watching Gran Torino last year I identified with the Hmong. Can I check that one?
In addition, it is recognized that the categories of the race item include both racial and national origin or socio-cultural groups. You may choose more than one race category. Native American and Hmong, then.

Will people of mixed racial heritage be able to identify themselves on the form?
Each respondent may select one or more racial categories. Native American, Hmong, and Welsh.

How will data on American Indians or Alaska Natives be collected?
Responses to the census question on race are based on self-identification. Respondents may choose to select the checkbox category "American Indian or Alaska Native". This checkbox also has an instruction to "Print name of enrolled or principal tribe" along with a write-in response area for respondents to indicate their tribe or tribes. These responses will be used to collect data on both the American Indian and Alaska Native populations. Huron.

May American Indians and Alaska Natives report more than one tribe?
Yes, in addition to reporting one or more races, American Indians and Alaska Natives may report one or more tribes. For example, people who report American Indian and Alaska Native and write-in their tribes as Jicarilla Apache and Navajo would be included in both the Apache and Navajo tribal groupings. And Iroquois.

I'm an American Indian-Hmong-Welshman of the Huron and Iroquois tribes. At least, those are the races with which I most closely identify. Prove me wrong.

Update: Within hours of my posting someone removed the document in question from the Census Bureau web site. No problem; I kept a copy here.