Census and OMB Data Collection of Latinos Can Be Improved with Inclusion of “Street Race” [REPORT]

The UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute (UCLA LPPI) has published “Latino is Not a Race: Understanding Lived Experiences through Street Race,” a new report authored by Cecilia Nuñez, Julia Silver, Misael Galdámez, and Dr. Nancy López. The report examines the complexities of racial and ethnic identification within Latino communities in the United States, focusing on the concept of “street race,” or the race a stranger would assume you to be based on your physical appearance. The report finds that current Census and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) methods for collecting and analyzing racial and ethnic data do not accurately reflect the lived experiences of many Latinos, especially Afro-Latinxs.

The UCLA LPPI report also highlights the historical and ongoing challenges in racial and ethnic classification, including the ethical and policy implications of the recent OMB decision to combine race and Hispanic/Latino ethnicity into a single question on the Census.

In light of the fact that the recent OMB changes do not prohibit additional questions, to address these challenges, the authors propose including a street race/perceived race question in federal data collection instruments, which would capture how individuals are perceived racially based on physical appearance. They argue that adding the question is crucial for understanding and addressing racial discrimination and disparities within Latino communities, as well as for other racial minorities. The recommendations listed in the report are:

• Include an additional Street Race/perceived race in Surveys: Federal demographic data instruments should include a street race question to better understand racial experiences. To be clear, a street race question would not be a replacement for self-identified race, but it is an additional data point for discerning who is subjected to discrimination based on race as a visual status.
• Clarify Terms: The OMB should clearly define race/visual status, ethnicity/cultural heritage, and nationality/citizenship, ancestry/distant or familial, to avoid confusion and misclassification in data collection.
• Allocate Funding: Additional federal funding should be allocated to research best practices for collecting and analyzing race and ethnicity data, including testing the inclusion of a street race question.
• Respect Self-Identification: Census coding procedures should respect the racial and ethnic self-identifications of respondents without reassigning them based on predetermined categories.
  Address Disparities: Equity-minded Policies should recognize and address the unique experiences and needs of Afro-Latinx and other racial minoritized groups within the Latino community.

“To fight against anti-Blackness and other forms of discrimination, it is imperative that we acknowledge and address the unique challenges faced by Afro-Latinxs,” said Dr. López, who is a professor and the director and co-founder of the University of New Mexico’s Institute for the Study of “Race” and Social Justice. “Our report underscores the necessity of understanding the complex and varied lived experiences of Latinos, particularly those who are often marginalized due to how they are racialized. By advocating for a more nuanced approach to data collection that includes capturing racial perceptions, we can better document and combat the systemic inequities that impact these groups. The policy recommendations we present are not just suggestions—they are essential steps toward creating a more equitable and just society for all Latinxs.”

Nuñez, a dual-degree third-year graduate student at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Policy and policy fellow at UCLA LPPI, added, “The current methods of data collection used by the OMB fail to accurately reflect the realities of racial discrimination faced by Latinos. These oversights have significant implications for policy development and resource allocation. By advocating for the inclusion of a question that captures how Latinos are perceived racially, and other analytical improvements, we aim to generate data that truly represents our community’s experiences. Accurate and actionable data is essential for crafting effective policies and interventions that address the systemic inequities impacting Latinos and bringing meaningful change.”

“As highlighted by the AfroLatino Coalition, Latino is not a race; it is an ethnicity encompassing a diverse range of racial identities. This report brings attention to the importance of recognizing this distinction in data collection. By doing so, we can more accurately capture the multifaceted experiences of Latinos and address the specific challenges they face. Understanding that Latino ethnic identity intersects with various racial identities is crucial for developing policies that truly support and uplift the diversity of our communities,” concluded Silver, a research analyst at UCLA LPPI.

To download report, CLICK HERE.