They Got a Box You Got Erased (FAFSA & Census Data War)

Описание: If you check “Black” on FAFSA, you’re opting into erasure.
The federal government now treats “Black” as obsolete data — while others get protected lineage categories.

Under new Office of Management and Budget guidelines, federal forms now allow detailed checkboxes for specific immigrant lineages such as Nigerian, Somali, and Ethiopian. At the same time, Descendants of U.S. Slavery remain collapsed into the generic category “Black.”

This is not symbolic.
This is data architecture.

Specificity determines how outcomes are measured.
Measured outcomes determine funding, grants, policy, and opportunity.
Ambiguity is how erasure happens.

In this forensic breakdown, we examine the 2024 OMB standards, the upcoming 2026–27 FAFSA changes, and how “granularity for them, ambiguity for us” is becoming a quiet mechanism of wealth displacement.

👇 THE QUESTION:
When you fill out federal forms, do you feel represented by the word “Black” — or hidden by it?

Leave your answer in the comments.

Production Note:
Federal race and ethnicity standards were updated by OMB in 2024 with phased implementation through 2026–2030. As of December 2025, review and implementation discussions remain ongoing.

0:00 – START HERE: Why “Black” is now treated as obsolete

0:14 - The Receipt: Federal Government Admits We Were Right

0:35 - The Forensics: Specificity for Immigrants, Ambiguity for You

1:28 - The Financial Trap: FAFSA 2026 & The Wealth Gap

2:04 - Erasure by Aggregation: The Generic Basement

2:30 - The Legal Reality: Why "Black" Has No Standing

2:58 - The Strategy: Your Weapon is the Write-In

3:16 - The List: Correct Identifiers vs. Labels to Avoid

3:53 - Closing: Stay Specific, Stay on Code

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