"Reforming Census Categories: Empowering Underrepresented Communities"
TL;DR
The addition of a new Middle Eastern or North African category to the U.S. census will allow an estimated 8 million Americans to accurately identify their origins, shedding light on a community that has long been undercounted and underrepresented. While seen as a step in the right direction, experts caution that the category may not fully capture the diversity of the region, particularly for Afro-Arabs and Armenian Americans. Advocacy groups continue to push for better representation, emphasizing the importance of accurate data for policy decisions and community empowerment.
Topics:worldsociety-and-culture#advocacy#census#identity#middle-eastern#north-african#society-and-culture
- 'We exist': New Middle Eastern or North African census category helps community members feel seen NBC News
- Racial identity of Latinos: How we measured it Pew Research Center
- U.S. Officials Order Better Tracking of a Political Flashpoint: America's Diversity The New York Times
- The Census is changing its categories on race and ethnicity. Here's what that means for Latinos Los Angeles Times
- U.S. updates how it classifies people by race, ethnicity for first time in decades The Washington Post
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