Proposed Census change being considered

By Charles Sercombe
For years, a number of Arab-Americans have complained about their limited choice when it comes to marking down their race in the U.S. Census.
The government only gives them one option: White.
After decades of complaining about this, and seeking a change in the Census, there is now serious talk in making this change to the official once-every-10-year population count.
There is a proposal being considered to add another racial category that includes those from the Middle East and North Africa.
The proposal would label those from that region, as well as their descendents, as MENA: Middle East and North Africa.
Those advocating for this change say that the new category would allow the federal government to focus on the needs – especially health needs – of those considered MENA.
For many years, Arab-Americans have complained that they have been “whitewashed,” and thereby lack a unified voice for their concerns.
There are 4 million Arab-Americans in the U.S., and about 190,000 who live in the metro area.
Dearborn and Hamtramck have dense Arab communities.
Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib – the city’s first Yemeni-American to become mayor — said he would welcome the addition in the Census.
“People from this region get lost among the White majority while they are supposed to be recognized as a minority that shares so much in common,” Ghalib told The Review.
Asked if he was in favor of this designation, State Rep. Abraham Aiyash (D-Hamtramck), who is the first Arab-American to become majority floor leader in the state legislature, was succinct in his response to The Review:
“Yes, long overdue,” he said in an email.
This proposal to change the Census was first presented by President Obama’s administration, but the proposal then went nowhere during the Trump administration.
President Biden has since revived the issue.
Any change in the Census requires going through a number of hearings and reviews. It’s unclear whether the current proposal would be adopted for the next Census count in 2030.
Posted June 16, 2023