CLEVELAND — Ohio is one of the 10 states with the largest population of Arabs, but that’s just a guesstimate. Finding an accurate number for the populations isn't easy considering the census doesn't count them.
Now the Biden administration says they are reviewing adding new categories to the census, which effects many Arabs right here in Northeast Ohio who say it's long overdue.
When you take part in the census, you’re standing up to be counted. It’s a simple box that represents your race, ethnicity, and for many, your identity. But for people like Ahmad Assad, Shereen Naser, Melaak Rasheed and Khadeja Najjar, the only box to check on the census is "white," which they’re not.
Inside Assad’s Bakery on Lorain Avenue, the welcoming feeling is undeniable.
“It’s not just over-the-counter relationship like any other grocery store, here you become a part of the family,” said co-owner Ahmad Assad.
The Palestinian-owned bakery has been a staple in Cleveland’s Arab community for more than 30 years.
“I’ve known customers since 1989; I’ve known grandparents, their parents and their kids,” said Fred Assad, co-owner of Assad’s Bakery.
While inside Assad’s walls, Arabs feel at home — outside, they feel invisible.
“We try to do our part to make people understand that census is an important aspect so we could be counted, so we could be known as a large integral part of this community,” said Ahmad.
To truly understand how the census categorizes people, you need to look at the criteria. These are the seven categories under race and ethnicity: American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or other pacific islander, and White.
What you don't see is how the Assad’s and Shereen Naser would categorize themselves — middle eastern or North African, in other words, "MENA."
Instead under the criteria of the census they fall under "white," which the census defines as the following "A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa.”
“I am coded by other people as not being white. Yet I’m asked to checkmark this box that tells me I have a privilege that doesn't exist for me,” said Shereen Naser, an associate professor in the department of psychology at Cleveland State University.
Palestinian Shereen Naser, an associate professor of psychology, knows what it’s like not to be counted. Melaak Rashid knows it too and has been fighting to change the census for years.
“You know, the census makes up for redistricting. It makes up for school resources. It also makes up for the money that goes to health resources,” said Melaak Rashid, a Cleveland census activist.
So, in an Arab's everyday life, what does the census affect? The census affects and influences more decisions than most people can fathom — where to build schools and grocery stores, what to research and what to fund.
Consider this — census data helps the federal government decide how to best allocate hundreds of billions of dollars. Imagine being invisible in that decision-making.
For Shereen, it’s more than a box; it's about what that box says.
“If you don't feel like you belong, you're not sure where you belong. You might start to self-isolate, you might struggle with your self-esteem and those are connected, again, so things like depression and anxiety,” said Naser.
This is something Khadeja Najjar also deals with; she’s a Palestinian grad student at Cleveland State.
“Unfortunately, Arabs are not on the CSU census, which is painful, because CSU is so diverse,” said Najjar.
She's questioned what to mark on her standardized tests, let alone the census.
She says in school she felt like to she had to work harder to prove herself and overcome stigmas and stereotypes.
Without a complete set of data, it’s impossible to measure the disparities but also the contributions of Arab Americans like Khadeja, Shereen, Melaak and of course, Ahmad Assad.
“It’s important because we’re a part of American culture now, it’s important to know we are here and we are not leaving anywhere,” said Ahmad.
At Assads, everyone is welcome and seen; the census could have that same effect with a simple box.
Last year, the Biden administration began a review of government standards for race and ethnicity. Early this year, the administration proposed two additional boxes on the census. One for Hispanic and Latino, and the other for middle eastern and North African. The Office of Management and Budget is expected to make a final decision on the proposals by next summer.
In 2013, the bureau estimated there were about 1.8 million Arabs living in the U.S.
But the Arab American Institute Foundation says the number is far too low; it estimates that number is likely closer to 3.7 million.
The number the census provided is not based on the main census form but is generated from a separate section about "ancestry or racial origin" which is on the much smaller American Community Survey that’s done every year.
