Residents Favor Multiracial Box For Census But State Committee Reluctant To Endorse Idea

A majority of Washington residents surveyed favor a new multiracial category in the U.S. Census, a state advisory committee said in a recently released report.

But the many and varied opinions on the multiracial question left the committee reluctant to take a position.

Chairwoman Robbi Ferron said the 15 members of the Governor’s Affirmative Action Policy Committee thought the feedback they received did not send a clear enough directive for the committee to take a position.

That’s partly because people who responded offered a wide variety of reasons for their opinions.

Two-thirds of the 94 people who testified at six public hearings or who completed written surveys said they favored addition of a multiracial or multiethnic category on the census.

“It is frustrating to be asked to choose to pick one box,” said one person quoted but not named in the report. “I support the multiracial category, because I won’t choose just one. I believe it is important that the boxes apply to us.”

The census previously allowed people to choose one of four categories for racial background - white, black, Asian or American Indian. Hispanics, who were considered members of an ethnic group, were allowed to describe themselves as such but were also required to choose one of the four racial terms.

Racial heritage information on the census has come under intense scrutiny in recent years, especially with a growing number of people of mixed heritage. The U.S. Office of Financial Management and Budget has held hearings, conducted studies and taken test surveys as it considers whether to make changes.

The state report has been forwarded to federal officials. Recommendations are expected this fall on possible changes in the racial identification question.

“We were somewhat shocked at the strength of the feeling people had on opposite sides of any issue relating to this,” said Ferron. “This is a very charged issue.”