2020 人口普查表的最新样本已经出炉。 那里面没有把“亚裔”跟其它的美国大种族例如白人黑人那样列入一级分类，Asian 这个一级分类就这样消失于迷踪。
如何把“Asian”找回来？ 这里有几个办法。 第一就是直接给人口普查局的局长写信。 注意不是用email 轰炸，而是邮政信件。 第二就是跟您所居住的选区的国会代表写信。 这可以是Email 。 目前人口普查局已经把最新的那个版本送交国会讨论。 国会议员的看法很重要。 下面这有两份写给人口普查局局长的信件的样本。 请大家讨论并修改之后，寄给局长或者您的国会议员。 以下就是两个样本：
Your Address
Your Phone Number
Your Email Address
Date
Director Dr. Ron Jarmin
U.S. Census Bureau
4600 Silver Hill Road
Washington, DC 20233
Honorable Director Dr. Ron Jarmin,
（Intruduce yourself）, I am writing to express my concern about the race question in the 2020 census. my concern is about the format of the question, instead of the content of the question.
For Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), there are multiple boxes to click. By contrast, for other races and ethnicities such as Black, White, or Native Americans, respondents have with one write-in box for each race-ethnic designation. I believe the extra Asian boxes are harmful to the AAPI community in the following ways.
1. Continuing the legacy of the Chinese/Asian Exclusion Act. The Census first implemented an Asian special race box in 1870. Persons of East and Southeast Asian descent were first all called “Chinese,” irrespective of whether they actually came from Imperial China or not (the word “Chinese” first appeared in 1870 Census). In later censuses, ethnicities based on country of
origin such as Japanese (1890), Filipino (1930), and Korean (1930) were created and added, and each new category served a political reason or was used as a tool to practice immigrant exclusion before the civil rights movement in the 1960s. It is time to end this hurtful legacy and further unify the AAPI community.
2. Casting the smaller AAPI communities as the “other.” The current census question alienates AAPI community members who do not belong to one the largest nine groups. It is a way of implying that some ethnicities are not as important as others.
3. Hindering free self-expression of ethnic and cultural identity. In the current system, White people can write in Russian Jewish, South European, or Middle Eastern if their ancestors have a complex migration history or are from different parts of the world. It is different for the AAPI community–you have to belong to either one box or a combination of boxes. For instance, a person of Chinese and Vietnamese descent probably would consider herself neither Chinese nor Vietnamese, but they are pressured to choose one box. Also, the current system is insensitive to the identity of multiracial persons of Asian heritage. Asian heritage has a special box, while the heritage of other ancestries allows more nuance. Therefore, the Census would fail to include
pertinent information about many AAPI community members.
4. Perpetuating the stereotype of Asian Americans as “forever foreigners.” Asians are considered less American than Black, White, and Native Americans. This census race question again defines us differently from other racial groups, and ignores the nuanced interconnectedness among AAPI communities.
5. Making Asians inferior. The current format implies that without the extra boxes as guidance, Asian people will not know how to answer the question properly. We know some scholars already have expressed concerns that some respondents may click Asian, then skip the print details section. However, this assumption is particularly troubling and racist, because it makes Asians inferior. If people in other racial groups know how to click a box then print, Asians know as well.
Our suggestion is to treat groups equally: One Asian, One box to print. We urge Census Bureau to change the collection of data from persons of Asian origin to be identical to the way that White, Black, Native American data are collected. In 2017, the Census Bureau released an earlier version with the equitable format, and it has been tested and proved to be effective.
However, the final version changed back to the multiple boxes practice. The One Box approach is more culturally sensitive and statistically meaningful. It will not increase the cost to the Census Bureau. It will also reduce the potential confusion.
Sincerely,
Your name
Your Address
Your Phone Number
Your Email Address
Date
Director Dr. Ron Jarmin
U.S. Census Bureau
4600 Silver Hill Road
Washington, DC 20233
Honorable Director Dr. Ron Jarmin,
I write to you to express my concerns about the questions in the race section of the 2020 Census form released in the “Questions Planned for the 2020 Census and American Community Survey” issued March 2018.
This version of planned 2020 Census Form puts Asian Americans under no major racial group or category. While White Americans, Black or African-Americans, and Hispanic/Latino Americans can choose whatever race that best fit their identity under their main racial group/category, Asian Americans must fill in the race box with their national origin without a main racial group/category. For Blacks in this country, they have a choice of “African American” in both main and subgroups, but Asian Americans don’t have such choice at all. In other words, such check box doesn’t exist for us. This approach makes our community very concerned. We want to be treated in the same way other major race groups are treated such as Black, White, and Native American.
Asian American is one of the ethnic groups that came to this country nearly 200 years ago. We contributed to the construction of transcontinental railroad, turning the western deserts into fertile farmlands, and reviving crumbling urban areas into vibrant commercial centers. As one of the rapid growing minority groups with population of more than 14.7 million (2010 Census data), we Asian Americans deserve a simple check box of “Asian American” to show our existence in this great nation.
The racial complexity of Asian American is beyond one’s imagination. A Chinese may immigrate to Korea 70 year ago, married a local woman there, and then immigrated to the United States after Korean War with his family, and have two or more generations here in this great country. Which race box should this Asian American’s great, grandchildren check in the 2020 Census form?
For many Asian immigrants’ who came to this country more than 100 years ago, many of their great, grand children have never set a foot to any Asian countries. They had lost ties with their grand parents’ national origin many, many years ago. The only language they speak is English. Why should they check themselves as “Korean”, ”Chinese”, ”Japanese”, or “Asian Indian”, etc.? Can these Americans simply choose “Asian American” as race, just like African-American?
Here are my suggestions that may make your job easier and more accurate:
1. Change the collection of data from persons of Asian origin to be identical to the way that White, Black, Native American data are collected. In 2017, the Census Bureau released an earlier version with the equitable format (clearly put “Asian” as a main race group), and it has been tested and proved to be effective.
2. Provide Asian Americans with a check box of “Asian American” as their race. This is typically critical to those who have been in this country for generations.
Your consideration will be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Your name here