Giving Compass' Take:

• Khalil Abdullah answers frequently asked questions about racial identity on the 2020 census.

• How can we support more accurate representation of people with racially diverse backgrounds?

• Learn more about the importance of the census and how to make it worthwhile.

Whether you plan to respond to the census online, in writing, or by telephone, one question you'll be asked to answer is how, racially speaking, you self-identify. What follows are answers to some frequently asked questions to help guide you through the process.

Your racial choices are: (1) White; (2) Black or African American; (3) American Indian or Alaskan Native; (4) Asian — with numerous boxes as subsets; and (5) Some other race. The questionnaire also asks separately if the respondent is "of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin," but instructs that "for this census, Hispanic origins are not races."

As far as the census is concerned, Hispanics and Latinos are ethnic classifications not racial classifications. Some will check the "White" box and some will check the "Black" box or write in "Afro Latino," for example, as an addition. Many will check the "Some other race" box.

For practical purposes, as a measure of population, census data is used to determine how the federal and state governments allocate funds and resources, in addition to determining the number of seats states get in the U.S. House of Representatives. Data can be a double-edged sword. Some data are critical to attempts to address structural disparities among within American society, but data also can be used as a guide to steer resources away from those deemed political adversaries. How and why data are used is an important conversation, but it's a different conversation from whether it's in your interest to respond to the census. However, unless you are clear about who you are by identity, you may be grouped with a different race than your preference.

Read the full article about navigating identity on the 2020 census by Khalil Abdullah at Philanthropy News Digest by Candid.