As a child in Alabama I had friends who referred to themselves as "negro". As I got older they began to refer to themselves as "African American". Suddenly, at some point that changed to "black". I usually asked my friends what they preferred and went with that. I looked at the US Census website and this is the official statement on the term "negro" being used on the census form.
http://2010.census.gov/2010census/about/whole.php
Quote:
In this day and age, why is the word “Negro” included as part of the race question on the 2010 Census form?
The wording of the race category labeled “Black, African Am., or Negro” is based on Office of Management and Budget standards and Census Bureau research that showed a segment of the population still identifies itself as “Negro.” The Census Bureau has a research team dedicated to investigating issues and analyzing data on the nation’s diverse racial and ethnic groups. The Census Bureau is testing the removal of the term “Negro” from the question on race, and results of this research will inform design changes for future surveys and the 2020 Census. We are sorry if some are offended by the use of this word in the 2010 Census and hope that it will not stop them from returning their forms and being fully counted by the census.
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