{"id":5962,"date":"2022-05-02T10:21:48","date_gmt":"2022-05-02T14:21:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yemeniamerican.com\/en\/?p=5962"},"modified":"2022-05-08T18:21:54","modified_gmt":"2022-05-08T22:21:54","slug":"senator-peters-writes-to-the-white-house-about-including-mena-category","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yemeniamerican.com\/en\/senator-peters-writes-to-the-white-house-about-including-mena-category\/","title":{"rendered":"Senator Peters Writes to the White House about including MENA Category"},"content":{"rendered":"

Photo Courtesy of Senator Peters<\/p>\n

By Simon Albaugh \u2013 Yemeni American News<\/p>\n

Washington, D.C. \u2013 In a letter to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) wrote of the pressing need for a Middle Eastern\/North African category in federal data collection, like the United States Census.<\/p>\n

\u201cI write to request information about the Office of Management and Budget\u2019s review of the federal standards for race and ethnicity data, and urge you to prioritize the inclusion of a category for people of Middle Eastern or North African (MENA) descent,\u201d writes Senator Peters.<\/p>\n

The Federal Government\u2019s data collection standards were first issued in 1977 but did not specify a MENA category. Instead, those from the Middle East and North Africa were classified as white, along with ethnic Europeans.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince the federal standards on race and ethnicity were first issued in 1977, the Federal Government has classified White as people having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa,\u201d reads a 2016 report from the Office of Management and Budget<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

Senator Peters has been looking to change that. As senator to a state with the largest Middle Eastern and North African population outside the region itself, he\u2019s heard many say this misidentification has created additional challenges for the members of the MENA population.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor too long, outdated federal standards have imposed limits on statisticians, advocates, and communities alike,\u201d said Maha Freij, CEO of the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS). \u201cIn this letter, Senator Peters requests vital information regarding the OMB\u2019s effort to correct this historical and systemic exclusion. We urge the OMB to provide this information and prioritize establishment of a standalone \u2018Middle Eastern or North African\u2019 category.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What\u2019s stopping a MENA Category?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a previous review of federal standards from 1997, OMB noted that the concept of a separate racial category for the MENA population was considered, however the conclusion was more research needed to be done in order to reach a comprehensive definition.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the conclusion of that review, agreement could not be reached among public stakeholders on the intended measurement concept (i.e., whether the category should be based on language, geography, etc.) nor on a definition for this category,\u201d reads the 2016 report. \u201cAs a result, an additional, minimum reporting category for this group was not created. Instead, the revisions\u2026 advised that further research be done to determine the best way to improve data for \u201cArabs\/Middle Easterners.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, detailed notes on the public comments gathered by the Office of Management and Budget show that a vast majority of those participating in the research \u2013 98.3% of participants \u2013 agreed that there needs to be a MENA category for federal data collection.<\/p>\n

The rationale included an elimination of confusion, improvement of data standards and the necessity \u201cto inform the community, researchers, and policy-makers in order to help in healthcare research, law enforcement, civil rights enforcement, and the development of anti-discrimination policies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those not in support of a separate MENA category – 38 respondents out of more than 2,000 \u2013 were mainly opposed to what they saw as a \u201cspecial interest group\u201d and \u201ca way for this group to get special funding.\u201d However, this is exactly what the United States Census is designed to do for every ethnic and socioeconomic groups.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What Peters Wants from the OMB<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Senator Peters\u2019 letter to OMB Director Shalanda Young<\/a><\/span>, the Michigan Senator asks for a complete update on the process of OMB\u2019s review and revision of federal guidelines for data collection. Specifically, Peters is requesting:<\/p>\n