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The recent US Census has caused outrage in America by failing to omit the word ‘negro’ in the option under race.

The questionnaire designed to help the US government decide how to spend $400 billion to communities across the country, has place the US Census Bureau under fire by its use of the offensive word.

The question asks, "What is Person 1's race?" The answer choices are "White; Black, African-American, or Negro; American Indian or Alaska Native” and has had many asking why three words were needed to describe one race.

From 1850-1880 the race option simply consisted of White, Black and Mulatto and in the 1900’s they asked respondents to fill in the blanks. It wasn’t until 1960 that the word Negro appeared as an option along with White, American and so forth. From 1970 to 1990, the option became Black or Negro and in 2000 the word African-American was introduced to this option.

Officials from the Census Bureau reportedly 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" and that including the term "outweighed the negatives."

Published: 11 January 2010
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