Miscategorization of Arab Americans in the Decennial Census: Historical, Legal, and Social Factors
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v12i4.5743Keywords:
Arab Americans, decennial census, fair representation, MENAAbstract
Arab American representation in the United States Census has been a topic of debate for several years. The decennial census, a population survey conducted by the United States Census Bureau, aims to determine the number of United States residents with accuracy. The results of the decennial census have great implications, deciding the apportionment of seats each state holds in the United States House of Representatives, in addition to providing crucial data for the country wholly. However, Arab American representation in the United States Census has been insufficient, as Arab Americans hailing from countries such as Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and others do not have a box designated for Middle Eastern/North African (MENA) individuals. As a result, many Arab Americans select either the “White” or “Black” box when completing their censuses. This skewed data from Arab Americans negatively impacts the MENA community by causing a lack of fair representation. Only by studying the roots of Arabs in America, including their battles with discrimination and prejudice, can current social sentiment be better understood. This paper’s work seeks to solidify the inextricable relationship between past and present, culminating in current Arab American representation in the decennial census, along with future directions for the community at large.
Downloads
References or Bibliography
(n.d.). Yalla Count MENA In! https://yallacountmenain.org/
Abukwaik, D. (2023, May 12). Why Arab American youth care about the U.S. Census. The Setonian. https://www.thesetonian.com/article/2023/05/us-census-ethnicity
Adely, H. (2023, February 20). Will Arab Americans finally be counted on the US census? northjersey.com. https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/2023/02/20/us-census-ethnicity-categories-nj-arab-americans-want-inclusion/69906692007/
Alsharif, M., & Tensley, B. (2022, April 28). Why Arabs and Arab Americans feel being counted as White in the US doesn't reflect their reality. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/28/us/arab-american-heritage-month-race-deconstructed-newsletter/index.html
Assad, S. (2023, February 13). Often overlooked, Chicago Arab Americans face widespread racism, groundbreaking report finds. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/chicago-arab-americans-widespread-racism-report/
Bortot, M. S. (2015, December 3). How Arab Americans make their voices heard. ShareAmerica. https://share.america.gov/how-arab-americans-make-their-voices-heard/
Census Bureau Releases Census 2000 Supplementary Survey Data - Census 2000 - Newsroom. (2000). U.S. Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/census_2000/cb01cn178.html
Civil Rights Division | Combating Post-9/11 Discriminatory Backlash. (2015). Department of Justice. https://www.justice.gov/crt/combating-post-911-discriminatory-backlash-6
Comparison of FBI Hate Crime Statistics (2020-2000). (n.d.). Anti-Defamation League. https://www.adl.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/2022-05/FBI%20Hate%20Crime%20Statistics%20Comparison%202000-2020.pdf
Confronting Discrimination in the Post-9/11 Era: Challenges and Opportunities Ten Years Later. (2011). Department of Justice. https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/crt/legacy/2012/04/16/post911summit_report_2012-04.pdf
Decennial Census — Arab American Institute. (n.d.). Arab American Institute. https://www.aaiusa.org/decennial-census
Demographics — Arab American Institute. (n.d.). Arab American Institute. https://www.aaiusa.org/demographics
Dept. of Justice Affirms Arab Race in 1909 | The Arab American Historical Foundation Home. (n.d.). Arab American Historical Foundation. https://www.arabamericanhistory.org/archives/dept-of-justice-affirms-arab-race-in-1909/
Fouad, S. (2021, April 30). Arab-American Representation and Identity in American Society | ACS. American Constitution Society. https://www.acslaw.org/expertforum/arab-american-representation-and-identity-in-american-society/
Girl's head scarf fuels debate on religious freedom. (2004, April 2). CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/04/01/hearn/index.html
Gualtieri, S. (2001). Becoming “White”: Race, Religion and the Foundations of Syrian/Lebanese Ethnicity in the United States. Journal of American Ethnic History, 20(4), 29-58. JSTOR. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27502745
Harjanto, L., & Batalova, J. (2022, January 13). Article: Middle Eastern and North African Immigrants in the United States. Migration Policy Institute. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/middle-eastern-and-north-african-immigrants-united-states
Jawdat, L. (2012). Experiences of discrimination among Arab Americans and Muslim Americans post-9/11 attacks. Smith ScholarWorks. https://scholarworks.smith.edu/theses/896/?utm_source=scholarworks.smith.edu%2Ftheses%2F896&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages
Lee, J. (2009, June 4). Nashala's Story | whitehouse.gov. Obama White House Archives. https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2009/06/04/nashalas-story
Measher, L. (2020, May 21). The 2020 census continues the whitewashing of Middle Eastern Americans. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/2020-census-continues-whitewashing-middle-eastern-americans-ncna1212051
Million Arab Americans in the United States. (2002, May 1). Population Reference Bureau. https://www.prb.org/resources/1-million-arab-americans-in-the-united-states/
Perea, J. F. (1998). The Black/White Binary Paradigm of Race: The 'Normal Science' of American Racial Thought. California Law Review, 85. Social Science Research Network. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3436322
Poll of Arab Americans. (2023, April 28). Arab American Institute. https://www.aaiusa.org/library/the-arab-american-vote-2023-dm83t
Rahman, N. (2023, April 3). Advocacy group seeks Middle Eastern, North African category included in Census, other federal forms. WDET 101.9 FM. https://wdet.org/2023/04/03/middle-eastern-north-african-category-census/
Sahawneh, Z. R. (2022, October 19). The Lack of Arab American Categorization in the U.S. Census and its Legal Implications for Protection Against Discrimination — Columbia Undergraduate Law Review. Columbia Undergraduate Law Review. https://www.culawreview.org/journal/the-lack-of-arab-american-categorization-in-the-us-census-and-its-legal-implications-for-protection-against-discrimination
Saint Francis College v. Al-Khazraji. (n.d.). Oyez. https://www.oyez.org/cases/1986/85-2169
Santana, R. (2023, June 18). 20 years after the United States invaded Iraq, Iraqis are still trying to emigrate to the US. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/iraq-anniversary-refugee-asylum-debf2c74a9f5acc5d6562647d2bef94f
Sawafta, S. (2023, May 24). Arab Americans Have Been Without A Census Category for Years. Here’s Why That Matters. The Boston Globe. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/05/24/opinion/arab-americans-have-been-without-census-category-years-heres-why-that-matters/
Section 1981 | Wex | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute. (n.d.). law.cornell.edu. https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/section_1981
Sehgal, P. (2016, February 2). Fighting ‘Erasure’. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/07/magazine/the-painful-consequences-of-erasure.html
Shinn, J. (2022, December 5). Brain Drain Overview, Causes & Effects | What is Brain Drain? - Video & Lesson Transcript. Study.com. https://study.com/learn/lesson/brain-drain-causes-effects.html
Stephan, R. (2021, April 30). The Story of Arab Americans' Beginning in America – And the Quest for Fair Representation - United States Department of State. State Department. https://www.state.gov/dipnote-u-s-department-of-state-official-blog/the-story-of-arab-americans-beginning-in-america-and-the-quest-for-fair-representation/
ACS 1-year Estimates. (2021, October 8). U.S. Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/technical-documentation/table-and-geography-changes/2017/1-year.html
Wang, K.-H. (2023, April 28). Why Arab Americans are pushing for a 'Middle East or North African' category on the census. PBS. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/why-arab-americans-are-pushing-for-a-middle-east-or-north-african-category-on-the-census
Wang, L. (2013, May 30). Arab-Americans: A 'Growing' Community, But By How Much? NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/05/30/187096445/arab-americans-a-growing-community-but-by-how-much
Whitaker, C. (2012). Immigration and Identity. The University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration Magazine, 19(2). https://crownschool.uchicago.edu/ssa_magazine/immigration-and-identity.html
Wintersmith, S. (2022, March 9). Arab Americans say the census and other forms don't consider their roots. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2022/03/09/1085355634/arab-americans-say-the-census-and-other-forms-dont-consider-their-roots
Yalla Vote — Arab American Institute. (n.d.). Arab American Institute. https://www.aaiusa.org/yalla-vote
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Copyright (c) 2023 Sarah Behjet; Dr. Jasmine Abbosh
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright holder(s) granted JSR a perpetual, non-exclusive license to distriute & display this article.
