The Office of Management and Budget's decision to combine race and ethnicity questions on Federal forms has sparked concerns from experts about its potential impact on equity research. Dr. Nancy López, a Sociology professor at the University of New Mexico, expressed her worries about the change, stating, "You're not going to be able to collect meaningful data when you are asking about two things in one question."
López emphasized the importance of understanding the distinction between ethnicity and race, explaining, "In many Latinx homes, there’s a saying, ‘You can’t cover the sun with one finger.’ This proverb underscores the real distinction between ethnicity, which pertains to cultural heritage, and race, which possesses a visual component."
Speaking on the complexities of intersectionality in research, López discussed how examining various factors such as class, parent education levels, race, gender, ethnicity, and age simultaneously can reveal deep inequities. She highlighted the potential limitations that the new federal question format could impose on such research endeavors.
The announcement by the Office of Management and Budget to merge the race and ethnicity questions has been met with mixed reactions. While some have welcomed the change, concerns have been raised regarding its implications on understanding issues like poverty and housing discrimination in the United States.
Listeners can learn more about Dr. Nancy López's work with the Institute for the Study of Race and Social Justice and delve deeper into the topic by accessing NPR's coverage on the revisions to Statistical Policy Directive No. 15 and the proposed questions for the U.S. Census. Additionally, the episode featuring Dr. López on the podcast "It’s (Probably) Not Rocket Science" provides valuable insights into the complexities of race and ethnicity in research.
For those interested in exploring this topic further, the podcast can be accessed on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and additional information is available at podcast.unm.edu.