50 signatures reached
To: Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
The Restored Lineage Coalition
Office of Management and Budget – Office of Statistical Policy and Standards
U.S. Census Bureau – Director Robert Santos
We, the undersigned, demand the recognition of “Reclassified Original American” as a distinct ethnic and national origin classification in the U.S. Census and federal data standards.
The current category “Black or African American” erases the identity and legal history of millions who do not descend from African immigrants, but from people whose original tribal, national, and noble identities were stripped by colonial law, Catholic decrees, and Jim Crow-era classification systems.
“The terms “Black” and “African American” are not only inaccurate — they are politically dangerous.
These categories do nothing to distinguish between:
“The terms “Black” and “African American” are not only inaccurate — they are politically dangerous.
These categories do nothing to distinguish between:
- Reclassified Indigenous Americans, Black Europeans, and Aboriginal lineages
— vs — - Recent African and Caribbean immigrants who chose U.S. citizenship
By collapsing two entirely different people into one label, the U.S. Census:
- Erases the unique history of American-born descendants of reclassified nations
- Falsely inflates political numbers with immigrant populations who do not share our struggle
- Undermines reparations, restoration, and land claims for those who were colonized here — not brought here
The following:
• Descendants of enslaved American Indians
•Reclassified American Indians removed from tribal rolls
•Indigenous Europeans, Pacific Islanders, and Asians reclassified as “Black”
•Free People of Color who were stripped of their sovereign identity and status
• Descendants of enslaved American Indians
•Reclassified American Indians removed from tribal rolls
•Indigenous Europeans, Pacific Islanders, and Asians reclassified as “Black”
•Free People of Color who were stripped of their sovereign identity and status
Many of us were originally classified as Indian, European, or Free National, but were forcibly renamed “Negro” or “Colored” after the Catholic Church outlawed Indian slavery. To continue exploiting us, colonists simply changed our label — creating a paper genocide that lasted through the 20th century.
Under Jim Crow, laws like the Racial Integrity Act of 1924 and policies from officials like Walter Plecker and Naomi Drake legally destroyed our tribal and national records, denying us land, treaties, and access to reparations.
This was not assimilation — this was erasure.
We are not African immigrants.
We are not a generic race.
Why is this important?
This fight is bigger than a checkbox — it’s about correcting centuries of lies, theft, and legal erasure.
For too long, the descendants of enslaved American Indians, Indigenous Europeans, Pacific Islanders, Asians, and Free People of Color have been lumped into a false racial category: “Black.” Their original nations, names, and legal rights were stripped away through paper genocide, Jim Crow laws, and colonial policies that erased entire peoples with the stroke of a pen.
Now, even our history, culture, and identity are being claimed by others — particularly recent African immigrants and pan-African ideologues — who attempt to speak for us, replace us in our own narrative, and rewrite our legacy.
By supporting the push to recognize “Reclassified Original American” as a distinct classification, you are:
✅ Standing up for the truth of history
✅ Supporting people fighting to restore stolen identities
✅ Aiding the movement for reparative justice and data accuracy
✅ Helping families reclaim their tribal, national, and genealogical records
✅ Pushing back against the system — and movements — that reclassify, rename, and erase our lineage
✅ Defending the culture, sovereignty, and heritage of reclassified Americans from being replaced or misrepresented
This is a fight for every person who believes that identity should be honored, not overwritten or exploited.
Join the campaign to restore what was taken.
Join the campaign to make our people count — by name, by blood, and by right.
This isn’t just about the past —
It’s about protecting the future from being stolen again.