A PROPOSED ACT TO REQUIRE THE USE

OF ACCURATE BIOGENETIC AND SOCIAL CATEGORIES

IN ETHNIC CLASSIFICATIONS

By Jack D. Forbes

Native American Studies Department

University of California, Davis

Whereas, recent developments in genetic medicine require accurate knowledge of a person's genetic background; and

Whereas, new discoveries in biomedical procedures will undoubtedly lead to an increased need for accurate genetic data for individuals; and

Whereas, such procedures as bone marrow transplants are greatly facilitated by accurate genetic data on potential donors; and

Whereas, genetic data tends to conform with historic racial groupings, such as Indigenous American, African, European-Caucasian, Veddoid (South Asian), East Asian, Australian, and Polynesian- Pacific Islander; and

Whereas, nationality designations tend also to segregate individuals genetically within broader racial groupings; and

Whereas, certain culturally or historically-based terms introduced in 1978 such as Hispanic are utterly useless relating to any racial, genetic or biomedical-data gathering; and

Whereas, it is absolutely necessary to record all of a person's genetic ancestry rather than simply the social group to which the individual may be arbitrarily placed by racial politics; and

Whereas, it is therefore highly desirable to encourage persons to record their ancestry as derived from all four grandparents or eight great- grandparents where feasible and not simply their mother's or father's predominant ethnic character; and

Whereas, federal policy since 1978 has discouraged the gathering of multi- racial ancestry for individuals, leading to a loss of valuable data especially as recorded on birth and death certificates, as well as in the United States Census; Therefore, Be It Hereby Enacted That:

1) priority shall be given to the recording of accurate ancestry data for individuals including multiple ancestry in all of the statistical policy procedures required by the federal government since the racial-ethnic categories utilized by the federal government largely determine what categories are utilized on birth certificates, death certificates, employment applications, medical records, and similar vital records;

2) therefore, questions about race or ancestry shall focus upon genetically-distinctive categories as in the following question about race:

From which races or broad ancestry groups are you descended (please check each group when you have a natural grandparent or other natural ancestor who has that ancestry):

Indigenous American (Pre-Columbian American) o

European Caucasian (Any "white" European) o

Middle Eastern Caucasian(Asia Minor to Afghanistan) o

South Asian(Indian Sub-continent) o

African (All Africans except European-derived) o

Central/East Asian (Southeast/East/Central Asia) o

Pacific Island groups (Micronesia/Melanesia/Polynesia) o

Indigenous Australian (Aboriginal Australian) o

2) The above are the categories which should be used for the aggregation of all statistical data, but in addition a question may be directed toward the individual's social identification as follows:

Which of the following groups do you primarily identify with [select one]:

If Applicable, give specific nationality, nation, tribe or language:

African-American, Black, African o _____________________

White, Caucasian o _____________________

Native American (Indigenous American) o _____________________

Asian o _____________________

Pacific Islander o _____________________

Latino, Hispanic-American o _____________________

Give Name of Nationality

A specific nationality o _____________________

Give Groups

Biracial or Multiethnic o _____________________

Other o _____________________

2) All forms should make clear that when "race" is asked for, what is meant is to choose among genetically-distinctive populations such as Indigenous Americans (American Indians), European Caucasians, Africans, Middle Eastern Caucasians, South Asians, East Asians, Australians, and Pacific peoples.

3) Forms should also make clear that cultural, historical or multi-racial geographical groupings such as "Hispanic," "Spanish origin," "Spanish speaking," South American, North American, and "American" are unacceptable because they do not refer to a single distinctive genetic population.

4) Birth certificates for all persons, including children being adopted or likely to be adopted, must include the racial-genetic ancestry of all four grandparents, at a minimum, if known.

5) Death certificates for all persons must include the racial-genetic ancestry of all four grandparents, if known, because death certificates can become sources of genetic data for survivors.

6) In the collection of statistical data a matrix can be utilized where "race" (biology) is collected in one column and "culture" or social identity in another, provided that "race" must always be collected. An example follows:

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING GROUPS ARE YOU DESCENDED

FROM,(ANCESTRY), AND WHICH CULTURES DO YOU PARTICIPATE IN:

English Spanish- Other

Language Hispanic Language

Pre-Columbian (Native) American o o o

European Caucasian o o o

Middle Eastern o o o

South Asian o o o

African o o o

East Asian o o o

Pacific Islander o o o

Australian Aboriginal o o o

CHECK ALL APPROPRIATE BOXES

Other samples are found in Forbes, "Undercounting Native Americans," in Wicazo Sa

ReviewVI (1) Spring 1990, pp. 8,23.

Forbes-Misc-Biogenetic Categories/Ethnic:2