Racial Identity and Census Categories: Can Incorrect Categories Yield Correct Information

The issues that Michael Omi raises in his essay regarding the inadequacy and inaccuracy of the racial/ethnic categories used by the U.S. Census Bureau1 are troubling to me and to many other demographers. As Omi points out, our initial response is to defend the categories and to want to preserve them so that we can continue to measure change, be it progress or lack thereof, in the relative standings of people living in the United States. 2 At the same time, the points Omi raises must be convincing to any sensitive reader; Omi's perspective is often shared by those who find that the categories do not describe who they are, such as those of "mixed race,"3 who may be unable to check off a single box on the census form. In fact, historian David Hollinger argues that it is mixed-race persons who will ultimately deal the current categories