 It seems like the simplest question. Who are you? But the answer can change everything from how fairly you're represented by the government to the social services you receive. That's because the US Census asked that question every decade to paint a picture of things like who we are or where we live and what we do for a living. It's so important that each census is preserved along with the Constitution at the National Archives. Today the National Archives gives us free and easy access to the 1950 census, a remarkable historic achievement during a pandemic. We get to know the names and ages and professions of people like my mom and dad whose data I'm eager to mine. I wonder where my white Australian slash Irish dad and my black and Cuban mom fit in when the 1950 census gave the options white, Negro, American Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino and other. What box would they have checked? Today nearly four of ten Americans don't identify as white. People like me in the media and those in government need to think about how to best tell those stories. That's why my documentaries and political magazine show Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien always features a diversity of people. Every census released by the National Archives gives us a window into our nation as it is and a chance to paint that picture more accurately. Each one allows the public to see a permanent record of how our government counts us just the way the 1950s census did. Genealogists, historians, researchers, and you have an opportunity to know how your family was recorded in our nation's history and how it mattered because the answer to the question asked time and time again was rich with meaning. Who are you?