AI Overview
The United States government officially classifies people of African descent under the racial category “Black or African American. This classification is used for statistical purposes, such as in the U.S. Census, and is based on self-identification.
Official Definition
According to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) standards, which guide federal data collection:
Black or African American – A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa.
This broad category encompasses a wide range of people with diverse origins, including descendants of enslaved people in the U.S. (who often identify specifically as African American), as well as immigrants from nations in the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa (who might identify with specific terms like Nigerian, Haitian, or Jamaican).
Key Points
- Self-Identification: Individuals choose their own racial and ethnic categories when filling out government forms like the census.
- Race vs. Ethnicity: The U.S. government collects data on race and ethnicity separately. “Hispanic or Latino” is considered an ethnicity, and people of this ethnicity can be of any race, including Black or African American.
- Social Construct: The categories reflect a social definition of race recognized in the U.S., not a biological or genetic one.
- Historical Context: The terminology has evolved, from terms like “Negro” or “Colored” in past censuses to the current “Black or African American” to reflect changing social norms and identities.
- Detailed Groups: The Census Bureau collects detailed data within the “Black or African American” category, providing counts for specific groups such as African American, Jamaican, Haitian, Nigerian, and Ethiopian, among others.
