The U.S. Census Bureau has asked millions of Americans questions regarding their race since 1790. In 1790, the only “races” listed were ‘Slaves’, ‘Free white females & males’, and ‘all other free persons’. There have been many changes regarding the races included, and whether it is an option to click “other” or “none”. As an example, the category named “other race” was taken off between the years 1850 and 1900, and returned as an option in 1910. Many races were not represented and acknowledged until years after the first census. Asians were acknowledged in 1860, 70 years after the first census. Latinos were acknowledged in 1970, 180 years after the first census. White has been the only race category acknowledged since the very beginning. How have they been asking Americans about their race? Through a U.S. Census form that asks you to check the box next to the race you identify with.

These are called race boxes.

Race boxes are asked to be filled out for applications for schools, for subject tests such as the SAT, and for employment purposes. When employing people of color, one must wonder if they are seeking diversity in the workplace or are instead expunging them? It is a completely valid question to ask, especially in today’s day and age where “diversity feels like more of an obligation than an embraced concept” (Gaynor). Many are afraid of being race exclusive or deemed a “racist”, when the truth is, they did not hire them because they didn’t believe they were the right fit. Affirmative action, or the favoring of those who often face discrimination, is used all the way from college admissions to job applicants. Many argue the use of affirmative action and voice that it goes against what was the “most sweeping civil rights legislation since the Reconstruction”: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 (United States, Congress, Senate). In Title VII, it bans discriminatory practices in employment. The question remains, what to do about race boxes?

Are we making a big deal out of nothing? When trying to obtain me a United States Passport when I was about two years old, my dad faced the race box question. In Jamaica, the only options listed were ‘black’ or ‘white’. My dad refused to check either box, stating that I was a human being. My dad continuously refused. They continuously rejected his human being idea, and this persisted. Eventually, he told them to call Washington D.C. and see what they had to say. They eventually complied, and Washington said the same thing: “check a box”. Hours and hours later, Washington said fine and allowed me to gain U.S. citizenship. No box was ever checked.

Race is defined as a group of people with common ancestry, yet with it, comes an unexpected baggage that hasn’t always been there. Race is important in the way that is differentiates us, provides us with a culture (whether we choose to associate with that given culture or not is our choice) that we can share and build relations from, but it also has been providing a barrier to some. It was a barrier in the early 1600’s when slaves first appeared on the scene, it was barrier until the late 1960’s during the Civil Right Movement, it’s still a barrier to some today. Derogatory terms have been tied to race, and hate has stemmed from peoples view on others race. To me, race is a quality that should be embraced but is unnecessary to peruse. It’s a social construct that society has labeled us by, but it by no means represents who we are fully. As high-school student Cherisse Tompkins writes, “Race only has as much power over us as we give it”. Her words ring true in my ear because it is we that created those derogatory names, it is we that discriminated against people who didn’t look like us, it is we, society. At the end of the day, race is just another box society is trying to squeeze us in. We should move on and explore the parts of ourselves that would reveal more about us than race ever could ("The Next").