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A5
U.S. NEWS Monday 15 april 2019

As census approaches, many Arab

Americans feel left out

By JOSEPH GEDEON
Associated Press
PHOENIX (AP) — Yousuf
Abdelfatah already knows
the answer he’ll give about
his race on the 2020 cen-
sus questionnaire will be
wrong.
He’s an Arab American,
but the only race options
on the census are white,
black, Asian and catego-
ries for American Indian,
Alaska Native, Native Ha-
waiian Pacific Islander. Re-
luctantly, Abdelfatah will
mark white.
“If you look at me, my skin
is darker, I’m visibly not
white,” said the 22-year-
old research assistant. “I’ve
lived my life as a person of
color, but I’m categorized
as white.” In this April 8, 2019 photo, Naia Al-Anbar stands on a street in the Glendale section of Los Angeles.
With the census going to Associated Press
printing presses later this discrimination laws, mean- said. “However, marking But the momentum came
year, Arab Americans are ing Arab Americans are ‘white’ doesn’t reflect who to a halt when a new ex-
again feeling left out of a subject to a lack of repre- I am or the diversity I bring.” ecutive government was
process that helps draw sentation and health and In another complicating voted in to power.
the nation’s political map social services. factor, the Trump adminis- “After all that work, and
and provide an accurate “Right now we have that tration wants to ask people all the millions spent, the
population count, which ‘white’ designation on whether they are Ameri- Trump administration
in turn can determine how paper but we don’t ben- can citizens on the census came in for what we be-
much federal funding mi- efit from it,” said 24-year- — an issue that is supposed lieve are political reasons
nority groups get for gov- old activist and organizer to be resolved by the U.S. to put an end to it,” said
ernment programs and Naia Al-Anbar. “The truth Supreme Court this summer Samer Khalaf, president of
medical research. is we aren’t ever going to before the forms are print- the American-Arab Anti-
Organizations have long be white in their eyes and ed. Some fear that will stifle Defamation Committee.
been pushing for a sepa- we will still be discriminated participation among vari- “Their reasoning was that
rate Middle Eastern or against.” ous immigrant groups, es- additional testing would be
North African category but Al-Anbar, who gener- pecially in the aftermath of required.”
realize it’s probably too ally supports the idea of a the administration’s travel The Census Bureau did not
late for 2020 with question- new category, has a Saudi ban from Muslim countries comment about the Mid-
naires ready to be printed. Arabian father and would that spread fear among dle Eastern category, but
“The census is in our Con- mark “other” on the census Arab Americans. pointed to previous news
stitution and it’s meant if a more precise category This question would discour- conferences where poli-
to count everyone,” said isn’t offered. age 30% of Arab Ameri- cy leaders discussed how
Maya Berry, the executive The Arab American Institute cans from taking the sur- more research was need-
director of the Arab Ameri- considers 22 countries to vey, a study by the Ameri- ed to include a Middle
can Institution. consist of Arabs, spanning can-Arab Anti-Defamation Eastern/North African cat-
According to census esti- Africa and Asia, meaning Committee found. egory not as a race, but as
mates, the Arab American Arab Americans can fall The Arab American In- an ethnicity.
population is measured at into several categories pro- stitute and other groups “We do feel that more re-
just over 2 million people. vided in the survey. have worked on getting an search and testing is need-
The Arab American Insti- This creates an odd de- Arab category introduced ed before we can proceed
tute, however, says that cision during the census in the census for decades to implement or propose to
number is closer to 3.6 mil- for Arab Americans. Does but have always been met implement a separate Mid-
lion. Underreporting from someone from Egypt, for with opposition. That was dle Eastern or North African
the census has come amid example, check the Af- until 2009, when the Census category,” Census Bureau
a rapid growth of the com- rican American box be- Bureau concluded that it chief of Population Karen
munity, which advocates cause their home country is would introduce a Middle Battle said at a program re-
say has increased by more in Africa? Would someone Eastern and North African view in January 2018.
than 72% between 2000 from Iraq be expected to category for the next cy- That would be a step in
and 2010. mark that they are Asian? cle after years of trials and the right direction for many
Population data is a key “As an Egyptian, I con- tests. Test results found that Arab Americans, as it could
factor in political redistrict- sidered marking ‘African the vast majority of Arab lead to a better count and
ing, researching human American’ but I’m not Americans supported the more research and fed-
rights, monitoring govern- black,” 24-year-old Nash- issue and would mark the eral funding to benefit their
ment programs and anti- ville resident Dina El-Rifai new option on the census. communities.q