‘Identity crisis’: Demographic surveys lack Middle Eastern and North African category, students advocate for representation

Shree Luitel
Thu, 23 Dec 2021 01:23:34 +0000
Area, Campus, Instagram Page, National, News, box, categorization, category, census, Columbus, community, conflict, culture, data, diversity, document, ethnic, ethnicity, experience, form, group, identity, impact, inclusion, issue, lack, meaning, MENA, middle eastern, missing, no, none [and 10 more]

Many Middle Eastern Americans and North African Americans have advocated for an official MENA category in order to better recognize their struggles. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor

Ayah Aldosari said she went through an identity crisis filling out college applications when she had to tick the box for “white.”

The second-year in neuroscience said her experiences as a minority were invalidated, a feeling shared by Middle Eastern and North African, or MENA, citizens who are categorized as “white” by the U.S. Census Bureau.?

“I have people deny my experiences because the government categorizes me as white,” Aldosari said. “I never considered myself to be white, so it was a shocking and confusing moment for me filling out college applications.”?

Advocates for creating an official MENA category call for language-based resources for the demographic and the recognition of its identity struggles, Morgan Liu, an associate professor in anthropology and near eastern languages and cultures, said. Without the category, Liu said it is impossible to track discrimination based on Middle Eastern and North African county of origin.

The Middle East and North Africa represent a geographical region made up of 20 countries. The region comprises more than 10 different ethnic groups, the largest being Arabs, Turks, Persians and the Kurds, according to the Pew Research Center.?

According to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, the U.S. government collects data based on race because many federal programs are put into effect based on this data, such as tailoring education plans for different demographics.?

Like most universities, Ohio State does not specifically have a MENA category for students.?

Jay Johnson, associate director of institutional research and planning in the Office of Academic Affairs, said the lack of the category allows Ohio State and other colleges to fall in line with federal guidelines to receive federal funding.?

“We use categories that would be close to the federal standard, so we can report to the federal government and the state of Ohio,” Johnson said.

Pranav Jani, associate professor of English, said he believes MENA should not be classified as a race or ethnicity, but as a region that shares a connective history.?

Since race is not biological, Liu said having meaningful identity groups would be a beneficial way to collect discrimination and demographic data.?

“It’s all about social categories and how we treat each other in America,” Liu said. “So having groups that are meaningful to people and maybe meaningful to the government when they are trying to figure out how diverse a city is or if there is certain kind of discrimination that people face.”?

Ghezal Barghouty, president of the Middle Eastern Law Students Association, said she feels her participation in the U.S. has gone unrecognized with a lack of a MENA option on the U.S. Census and other sources of data collection.

“Lack of a MENA option makes me feel like I am forced to contribute to the whitewashing of Middle Eastern and North African Americans,” Barghouty said.

James Moore, vice provost for diversity and inclusion, said students who feel marginalized are welcome to voice their concerns to the university.?

“Any time students feel like they are at the margins, we want to bring them at the center of the table and discuss solutions,” Moore said.

Grace Johnson, chief of staff of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, said groups like MENA become “erased” without their own category, leading to a lack of necessary resources for the demographic.?

“When we have an erased community, the resources will not flow and the specific concerns about the community are not given the attention,” Grace Johnson said.?

Barghouty said Middle Eastern and North African Americans are still subject to mistreatment while also lacking access to governmental programs available to other groups.

“Being categorized as ‘white’ does not stop discrimination against us, it does not further policy initiatives,” Barghouty said. “It does not help us gain basic rights such as language assistance programs in polling places.”?

Barghouty said while there are many diversity initiatives happening at Ohio State, none specifically target the MENA community.?

Regardless of whether there is a MENA category, Jani said it is important to hold onto a particular experience or legacy to create an impact.

“If you’re Palestinian and you have a particular experience or a particular legacy, hold on to that, even if you have to mark off white in some box,” Jani said. “What becomes really important is to do events and forums and action around the struggles of Palestine, right, freedom and identity, and this becomes a more important struggle than getting the census changed.”?