Under the new rules, persons who come from Spanish-speaking countries or have a Latin American heritage can mark two places on the census. Others may not speak Spanish even if they are from a Latin American country. Some persons of Mexican origin might wish to check both the White and American Indian boxes. Other Mexican-Americans may want to check only the American Indian box, since the Mexican people have so much more indigenous ancestry than they have of the European. This book will be found only in major libraries.
Persons can also telephone their oldest relatives to locate their specific indigenous community.
The 2000 census gives us all a chance to identify ourselves in the manner in which we wish to be known. It is very important that we identify ourselves with our indigenous communities, such as Xicano, Mixtec, Taino, or Apache. We cannot persuade educators to include us in the textbooks unless they know that we exist. I am overwhelmed with excitement of the recent studies and what it has uncovered. I read in bated breath each paragraph while digesting the almost historically impossible.