The 2030 census is coming up: What will you do?

Issue

As of 2022, the census asks Americans to identify their race and ethnicity among the following six options for race: White, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, or Some Other Race and the following two options for ethnicity: Hispanic or Latino or Not Hispanic or Latino. Many Americans feel that these choices are inadequate and do not identify completely with the categories afforded to them (see stories linked below). In this website, we will specifically explore the implications of this categorization on MENA individuals and the larger MENA community in the United States.

We will explore the following questions through multiple perspectives and allow you to make the final decision.

How is the MENA community unique?
What can a census category change for an individual and a community?

1 In 7 People Are 'Some Other Race' On The U.S. Census. That's A Big Data ProblemGrowing numbers of Latinos turned a mysterious census category into the country's second-largest racial group. Researchers say that makes it harder to address racial inequities over the next decade.

Why is there no MENA category on the 2020 US census?The 2020 US census suggests those of Lebanese, Egyptian and other MENA descent select ‘white’ on the race question.

The U.S. census sees Middle Eastern and North African people as white. Many don'tPeople with Middle Eastern or North African roots must be counted as white in the federal government's data. But a study finds many do not see themselves as white, and neither do many white people.

Opinion | The 2020 census whitewashes Middle Eastern Americans like meMarking myself down as only white leaves me feeling like half of my identity is missing. And I’m not the only Middle Eastern American who feels this way.

Chicagoland Study Shows Why We Need a MENA Category in The U.S. Census - The Chicago ReporterWe have major problems in this country in how we think about and get appropriate government assistance to Arab Americans. Social workers, translators, housing and transportation experts, health workers, and community-based funding agencies all face three substantial difficulties. First, the U.S. Census folds Arab Americans into the category “white/Caucasian,” making it nearly impossible to access […]

By Eleanor Jaffe-Pachuilo

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