What do race and ethnicity mean? The US government is asking

By MIKE SCHNEIDER
Associated Press

Americans have long had an intense conversation about what race and ethnicity says about who they are. Now the U.S. government is contemplating changes to how it sorts people into racial and ethnic groups. New proposals by the Biden administration would update racial and ethnic classifications for the first time since 1997. One idea would create a new category for people of Middle Eastern and North African descent who are currently classified as white. Another proposal would combine race and ethnic origin questions into a single query. The White House Office of Management and Budget will host three virtual town halls to discuss the ideas this week.