Project RACE is providing you with some of the most commonly used forms that may be encountered every day for many reasons and specifically in education, by businesses, and for medical and health care data.

  • Are you responsible for creating or managing demographic forms in your organization?
  • Do you update the medical history forms in your office?
  • Do you create the registration forms for your school?
  • Do you bring your dentist’s office forms into the 21st century?

Here are some samples to help take Multiracial / multi-ethnic perspectives into consideration for your 21st century demographic forms.

All forms should allow people to check more than one race.

IMPORTANT

All forms should ideally have a “Multiracial” box to check.
As an alternative, you may use the check all that apply format and put this wording in the instructions:
If you are Multiracial, you may select two or more races.

Commonly Used Forms

Here are just a couple of examples of some sections that can be used on the demographic sections of common forms. These are set for short or long versions depending on what the needs of the form are. The key is to understand who your audience is and meet their needs for Multiracial selection.

Standard Two-Part Short Form For Multiracial Sensitivity

Ethnicity: Is your ethnicity Hispanic or Latino? (A person of Cuban, Mexican,  Puerto Rican, South or Central American. or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race.)

☐  Yes

☐   No

Race: The question above is about ethnicity, not race. Please also choose from the list below. If you are Multiracial, you may select two or more races.

☐  White

☐  Black or African American

☐  American Indian or Alaska Native

☐  Asian

☐  Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander

Standard Combined Short Form

Check one. If you are Multiracial, you may select two or more races.

☐  White

☐  Black or African American

☐  Hispanic/Latino

☐  American Indian or Alaska Native

☐  Asian

☐  Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander

             OR

☐  American Indian or Alaska Native

☐  Asian

☐  Black or African American

☐  Hispanic/Latino

☐  Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander

  Multiracial

☐  White

Standard Long Form

Some states, cities, counties, or districts have adopted other racial categories based on their particular populations. The above combined and two-part forms are the minimum accepted by the United States government.

Examples of additional classifications on some forms include the following:

Multiracial,
Chinese,
Japanese,
Hmong,
Samoan,
Other,
and Prefer not to answer.

You would add the additional classifications to the lists above.