NewsWhore
08-20-2009, 06:20 PM
The US Congress still has to vote on a legislative bill that would authorize a reprint of the US Census paper form to include a stand alone check box for the Dominican nationality in the 2010 US Census. Nestor Montilla, president of the Dominican American National Round Table, the leading lobby group for the change, says "this hasn't happened yet."
Montilla clarified the confusion in the Dominican press today that had carried a statement by Dominican ambassador Roberto Saladin that has led to the erroneous perception that a separate box was included.
Corroborating the statement, Cid Wilson, a former DANR president, explained that in the present form, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans and Cubans are still the only Latino groups that have a separate checkbox. The DR is still listed in the "Other Hispanics" category with just a line where the polled individual could write in the nationality. This was decided in 2005.
"As of today, that has not changed and will not unless Congress passes the bill authorizing the Census to add Dominicans as a separate stand-alone category. The magic word is "stand-alone", says Wilson.
The way things stand now will still lead to an undercounting of the Dominican population because second and third generation Dominicans are less likely to write in the nationality, he explains. Research has shown more would do so if there was a check box.
Nestor Montilla says DANR will be issuing a statement later today to clarify the confusion after contacting Groves of the Census and Ambassador Roberto Saladin.
DANR has underway the Uno + Uno initiative that supports legislation submitted to Congress by Representative Charles Rangel (D-NY), for a reprint of the paper form to include the stand alone box for Dominicans in the 2010 Census.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#9)
Montilla clarified the confusion in the Dominican press today that had carried a statement by Dominican ambassador Roberto Saladin that has led to the erroneous perception that a separate box was included.
Corroborating the statement, Cid Wilson, a former DANR president, explained that in the present form, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans and Cubans are still the only Latino groups that have a separate checkbox. The DR is still listed in the "Other Hispanics" category with just a line where the polled individual could write in the nationality. This was decided in 2005.
"As of today, that has not changed and will not unless Congress passes the bill authorizing the Census to add Dominicans as a separate stand-alone category. The magic word is "stand-alone", says Wilson.
The way things stand now will still lead to an undercounting of the Dominican population because second and third generation Dominicans are less likely to write in the nationality, he explains. Research has shown more would do so if there was a check box.
Nestor Montilla says DANR will be issuing a statement later today to clarify the confusion after contacting Groves of the Census and Ambassador Roberto Saladin.
DANR has underway the Uno + Uno initiative that supports legislation submitted to Congress by Representative Charles Rangel (D-NY), for a reprint of the paper form to include the stand alone box for Dominicans in the 2010 Census.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#9)