Affirmative Action Race Definition

Race Definition

The Federal Government defines (a) "Asian American" to include persons having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent; and

(b) "Pacific Islander" includes the aboriginal, indigenous, native peoples of Hawai'i and other Pacific Islands within the jurisdiction of the United States, and those having origins in the Melanesian, Micronesian and Polynesian regions of the Pacific Islands.

In the 2000 Census, the Federal Government no longer groups Asians and Pacific Islanders together. The new groupings are Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders (NHOPI), American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIAN).

Asian refers to people having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent. It includes people who indicated their race or races as "Asian Indian", "Chinese", "Filipino", "Korean", "Japanese", "Vietnamese", or "Other Asian", or wrote in entries such as Burmese, Hmong, Pakistani, or Thai. (See also: Asian American)

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander refers to people having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. It includes people who indicated their race or races as "Native Hawaiian", "Guamanian or Chamorro", "Samoan", or "Other Pacific Islander", or wrote in entries such as Tahitian, Mariana Islander, or Chuukese. (See also: American Pacific Islander)

Asian:
Chinese
Filipino
Japanese
Asian Indian
Korean
Vietnamese
Cambodian
Hmong
Laotian
Thai
Other Asian

Pacific Islander
Polynesian
Hawaiian
Samoan
Tongan
Other Polynesian
Micronesian
Guamanian
Other Micronesian
Pacific Islander, not specified

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