Arab Americans will be able to identify themselves as Arab when they fill out their 2020 U.S. Census form if a proposal to change the form is adopted. (Photo by Paula Katinas via Brooklyn Daily Eagle)
Arab Americans have traditionally been required to check the box marked “white” on the U.S. Census, with no separate category of “Arab” listed under nationalities, and this has led to misrepresentation in demographic data collection. Now, the Census is considering adding the category of “Arab” under nationalities for the 2020 Census, and the Arab-American Association of New York’s executive director, Linda Sarsour, has sent an email urging that people support the change, writes Paula Katinas in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
The designation is important, according to Linda Sarsour, executive director of the Arab-American Association of New York, who wrote the email the organization sent out.
“Arab Americans are classified as ‘white’ and as a result, data on the numbers, needs and interests of the Arab American community are misrepresented,” Sarsour wrote.
The association also supports the idea of including the Middle East and North Africa regions of the world on the Census form. The Middle East and North Africa are commonly known as MENA.
“Because no designation currently exists on Census forms for individuals who trace their roots to the MENA region, it remains an ‘invisible’ community,” Sarsour wrote.
Among other things, changing the form would: provide more accurate and inclusive data collection; bring the status and needs of these communities to light; and serve as a resource to federal and local policy makers, according to Sarsour.
The Bay Ridge-based association provided guidance on how best to submit comments on the proposed change to the Census. Read more at Brooklyn Daily Eagle.