.Happy New Year BBN readers! What a way to jumpstart the big 2010 Census push with a "Negro" option under the race category. Residents can choose Black, African-American or Negro. The explanation is that older Americans who lived through segregation and Jim Crow laws may still identify themselves as Negro so Census organizers want to make sure everyone, young and old, is included. I don't know any seniors who officially call themselves Negro, and I would love to see the evidence they have that would lead them to believe this.

But the bigger questions is: Why is there still no West Indian or Caribbean ethnicity option?

The Census is given by the U.S. government every 10 years to get a snapshot of who lives in this country. It's also used to determine, among many other things, how the government distributes funds to communities. According to the last census, 2.8 million Americans were born in the Caribbean. Plus, the Census Bureau presented floats at several U.S. West Indian carnivals this year to make sure residents of West Indian descent are counted. So why not give us a category? Or at least make it clear what category we fit in.

It appears "Caribbean" is being lumped under the category of Latin American. Would you typically think of a Jamaican as a Latin American? Under that category, there isn't even a West Indian country mentioned as an example you can write in. It's already hard enough to get immigrants to fill out the form, amidst fears of being found out and deported. Why make it harder?

Whether you agree with me or not, be sure you're counted in and not counted out.

Shanida Smith Carter is a television producer and writer in New York City. She also teaches college courses on the Latin American and Caribbean Diaspora. She lives in New Jersey with her husband. BBN looks forward to her coverage and perspective.

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