Racial or Ancestrial Desisnationsn in the US Census

[Tami]

I have been doing Genealogical Research for myself and my family, and I've been thinking about how the Government via the US Census (and other places where the question comes up).

The Census starts by asking if you or a family member is

Is Person 1 of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin?

Then they ask

What is Person 1's race?

Here, you marked one or more boxes AND printed origins: White; Black or African American; American Indian or Alaska Native; Chinese; Filipino; Asian Indian; Vietnamese; Korean; Japanese; other Asian; Native Hawaiian; Samoan; Chamorro; other Pacific Islander; some other race.

Would it make more sense to self-identify based on the country or continent of origin of yourself or of your first ancestors not born in the US?

Or would it be best to keep the current system?

This is a probably a harder issue/question for people, especially Blacks, whose ancestors have been in the US for many generations.

For me, I would be fine self-identifying based on the geographical locations where my ancestors came from instead of listing myself simply as 'White'.

Please try not to let this get heated in any way. Thank you.