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    2020 Census May Ask White People To Get Specific About Their Ethnicity

    White people in the U.S. may be asked to check off boxes about their ethnic background if the White House approves a proposal to change how the government collects race and ethnicity data.
    by Hansi Lo Wang Nov 30, 2017 5 minutes
    If the White House approves a proposal to change how the government collects race and ethnicity data, white people in the U.S. may be asked to check off boxes about their ethnic background. But on this 2010 Census form, answering "white" was enough to respond to the race question.

    "White" has been a constant of the U.S. census.

    Other racial categories for the national headcount have come and gone over the centuries. But "white" has stuck ever since U.S. Marshals went door-to-door by horseback for the first census in 1790, tallying up the numbers of "free white males" and "free white females," plus "all other free persons" and "slaves."

    Census takers determined who counted as "white" or any other race. That changed in 1960, when U.S. residents were first allowed to self-report their race. Since then, just answering "white" has been enough to respond to the race question.

    But the upcoming census in 2020 may ask those who identify as white to explore their family tree to share their ethnic background as well. Anyone who checks off the "white" box could also mark boxes for

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