We’ve said it before: The U.S. Census is way more than cold, hard data. It informs what we call ourselves and how we’re represented. On this episode, we explore the controversial citizenship question that the Trump administration added to the 2020 census. We also talk about how the U.S. Census helped create the ‘Hispanic’ label.

The Census bureau challenges — and in some ways, helps define — how Americans of all stripes identify.

Chelsea Beck/NPR

hide caption

toggle caption

Chelsea Beck/NPR

The Census bureau challenges — and in some ways, helps define — how Americans of all stripes identify.

Chelsea Beck/NPR