Why Federal Recognition Matters

Federal statistics shape how researchers and policymakers understand population differences in housing, income, wealth, education, health, migration, and many other outcomes. When historically different populations are aggregated into one broad category, important within-group differences can be difficult to measure.

The Current Opportunity

OMB’s revised 2024 Statistical Policy Directive No. 15 requires collection of detailed race and ethnicity information beyond the minimum categories in most situations. The Census Bureau is implementing the revised standards for the 2027 American Community Survey and the 2030 Census.

The Census Bureau also uses detailed race and ethnicity coding to determine how written responses are classified and how detailed populations can be tabulated in Census and ACS products. That makes terminology, coding, testing, and public input central to this project’s federal-recognition strategy.

Our First Federal Objective

Support research, testing, and recognition of Foundational Black American as a distinct detailed lineage identity in federal race and ethnicity data, with an appropriate Census coding treatment and separately publishable demographic statistics where statistically supportable.

Why Research Comes Before a Petition

OMB identified both support and objections when descent-from-U.S.-slavery data were considered. Concerns included verification, terminology, usefulness, effects on other Black population counts, and insufficient research and stakeholder engagement. Our strategy is designed to answer those issues with evidence rather than ignore them.