(WXYZ) — It's a seemingly odd, but complex question in the Arabic community: Do you consider yourself white?
In spite of how they look or how they personally identify, in the government's eyes, Arab Americans are white, and activists want to change that
Shams Al-Badry is one of the leaders to get a Middle Eastern or North African (MENA) category on government documents, specifically the U.S. Census.
"We’ve had larger conversations about why our communities are invisible in this situation," Al-Badry said.
So why are Arab Americans considered white? In the early 1900s, in order to become a U.S. citizen, you either had to be Black or white. most selected white, and for decades, efforts to reserve that choice have been derailed, either by political administrations or older generations fearing accurately ientifying themselves would mean more and unethical surveillance.
Ali Abazeed, the public health director in Dearborn, the city with the largest concentration of Arabic people in North America, said having a MENA category on the Census is about more than feeling seen, it's about resources.
"If we don’t have that data, we are unable to advocate federal funds, we are unable to understand certain issues, especially from my perspective health issues," Abazeed said.
For example, Abazeed said the MENA community has a higher risk of heart disease, and studying trends would help allocate resources not only for health but education and small businesses.
However, how far away are they from getting that category?
"I do feel like we are really close if this goes through with the office of management and budget we are able to see this on government documents by 2024," Al-Badry said.
In order for that to happen, they are asking anyone who supports the effort to send comments directly to the government. You can submit your comment on the OMB website, or email Statistical_Directives@omb.eop.gov
