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The U.S. government standarizes definitions of race and ethnic categories.

1977

HISR
RAC

In response to civil rights legislation, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issues Directive 15, creating standard governmental race and ethnic categories for the first time.

The categories are meant to aid agencies, but they are arbitrary, inconsistent, and based on varying assumptions. For example, "Black" is defined as a "racial group," but "white" is not. "Hispanic" reflects the legacy of Spanish colonization and excludes non-Spanish-speaking parts of Central and South America. "American Indian or Alaskan Native" requires "cultural identification through tribal affiliation or community recognition," a condition that no other category carries.

The categories will be amended in 1996, and "Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander" will be added.