By Reina Salama ‘26
Guest Writer, Brown University
For decades, Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) communities in the U.S. have been legally and bureaucratically classified as “white.” (1) On the surface, this might seem like an innocuous detail—a box checked on a form, a technicality of data collection. But, this classification has profound implications, shaping how MENA individuals are counted, understood, and treated in American society. The introduction of a MENA category in the 2030 U.S. census is a long-overdue step forward. (2) Yet, the consequences of this misclassification extend far beyond census data alone. Across nearly all demographic surveys and legal frameworks, MENA individuals remain inaccurately categorized. This erasure is not an accident; it’s rooted in historical legal rulings that forced MENA communities into the “white” category while denying them the privileges that accompany it.
The misclassification of MENA communities as white in the United States did not happen by chance—it can be traced back to the 1915 court case United States v. Dow. George Dow, a Syrian immigrant, sought to be recognized as white to secure U.S. citizenship, a privilege at the time reserved for white people. (3) The court ruled in his favor, declaring that Syrians, despite being “inhabitants of a portion of Asia,” were “so closely related to their neighbors on the European side of the Mediterranean” that they qualified as white. (4) This decision, shaped by racial norms of the early 20th century, set a precedent that remains influential today.
Mexican Americans experienced a similar paradox. Although they were legally categorized as white, this classification often worked against them. Courts would rule that racial discrimination did not apply to Mexicans because, on paper, they were considered white, and therefore there was no violation of the Fourteenth Amendment. (5) In Hernandez v. Texas (1954), the state argued that the amendment only referred to one’s race, not one’s nationality; therefore, a Mexican person could not be legally discriminated against on the basis of race. (6) The Supreme Court ended up ruling that the Equal Protection Clause of the amendment could include groups that have “differences [other than race] from the community norm” if those differences lead to discrimination against the class. (7) It is worth noting the court did not rule on the racial categorization of Mexican Americans, allowing the group to remain legally white yet treated as non-white. (8)
Similarly, for MENA individuals, the “white” label has created a double bind. It aligns them with a racial category that fails to account for their lived experiences of discrimination and exclusion. (9) As a result, they often find themselves excluded from policies and programs designed to address racial disparities. (10)
One of the most significant disadvantages of this misclassification is the lack of access to resources. Healthcare, education, and social services programs are often designed to address disparities among recognized minority groups. Because MENA individuals are legally categorized as white, they are often excluded from these initiatives, despite facing unique challenges. (11) For instance, research on Arab Americans in California highlights stark disparities in health outcomes compared to non-Hispanic whites. (12) Nonetheless, because MENA individuals are not recognized as a distinct group, these gaps remain largely unaddressed in public health policies.
The misclassification also undermines MENA communities’ political visibility. Without accurate demographic data, MENA individuals remain underrepresented in policymaking and advocacy. (13) This lack of representation hinders the push for policies that address their needs, perpetuating a cycle of invisibility and neglect.
The “white” label also complicates legal protections for MENA individuals. In employment discrimination cases, for example, claims often hinge on the plaintiff’s status as a member of a protected group. (14) For MENA individuals, the “white” classification can be a barrier to seeking justice, as it obscures the reality of their experiences with discrimination.
The United States is an outlier in its approach to classifying MENA communities. In Canada, for example, MENA individuals are recognized as a distinct group. This has enabled researchers to uncover important data, such as the fact that first-generation MENA immigrants experience one of the largest earnings gaps among all minority groups. (15) During the COVID-19 pandemic, MENA Canadians were also found to have some of the highest infection and hospitalization rates in Toronto. (16) These insights have informed targeted public health and economic policies, demonstrating the value of accurate data.
The addition of a MENA category in the next census is a significant step, but it must be part of a broader effort to address the systemic consequences of misclassification. Accurate classification is essential for fair resource allocation, representation, and legal protections. To start, all federal and state surveys must adopt a distinct MENA category, ensuring consistency in data collection and analysis. Funding formulas for public programs should be adjusted to address the specific needs of MENA communities. Additionally, legal definitions of race and ethnicity must be updated to include MENA individuals explicitly, granting them the protections they have long been denied.
Accurately counting and classifying MENA communities isn’t just about fairness—it's about mitigating real harms that could be better identified through appropriate ethnic classifications. Introducing a MENA category offers a chance to begin addressing the systemic inequities prominent in America. The U.S. must prioritize the inclusion of MENA voices in its policies and data collection as we move toward a society that recognizes and meets the needs of all its people.
Endnotes
Khaled A. Beydoun. “Boxed In: Reclassification of Arab Americans on the U.S. Census as Progress or Peril.” Loyola University Chicago law Journal 47, 693 (2020). https://lawecommons.luc.edu/luclj/vol47/iss3/3.
“Revisions to OMB’s Statistical Policy Directive No. 15: Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity.” (March 29, 2024). https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/03/29/2024-06469/revisions-to-ombs-statistical-policy-directive-no-15-standards-for-maintaining-collecting-and.
Gualtieri, Sarah. “Becoming ‘White’: Race, Religion and the Foundations of Syrian/Lebanese Ethnicity in the United States.” Journal of American Ethnic History 20, no. 4 (2001): 29–58. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27502745.
Dow v. United States, 226 F. 145 (1915).
Sheridan, Clare. “‘Another White Race:’ Mexican Americans and the Paradox of Whiteness in Jury Selection.” Law and History Review 21, no. 1 (2003): 109–44. https://doi.org/10.2307/3595070.
Ibid.
Hernandez v. Texas, 347 U.S. 475 (1954).
Sheridan, Clare. “‘Another White Race:’ Mexican Americans and the Paradox of Whiteness in Jury Selection.” Law and History Review 21, no. 1 (2003): 109–44. https://doi.org/10.2307/3595070.
d’Urso, Amanda Sahar. “A Boundary of White Inclusion: The Role of Religion in Ethnoracial Assignment.” Perspectives on Politics 22, no. 2 (June 2024): 559–76. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1537592722003309.
Maghbouleh, Neda, Ariela Schachter, and René D. Flores. “Middle Eastern and North African Americans May Not Be Perceived, nor Perceive Themselves, to Be White.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 119, no. 7 (February 15, 2022): e2117940119. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2117940119.
El-Sayed, Abdulrahman M., Melissa Tracy, Peter Scarborough, and Sandro Galea. “Ethnic Inequalities in Mortality: The Case of Arab-Americans.” PloS One 6, no. 12 (2011): e29185. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0029185.
Abuelezam, Nadia N., Abdulrahman M. El-Sayed, and Sandro Galea. “Differences in Health Behaviors and Health Outcomes among Non-Hispanic Whites and Arab Americans in a Population-Based Survey in California.” BMC Public Health 19, no. 1 (July 8, 2019): 892. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7233-z.
Chaney, Kimberly E., Diana T. Sanchez, and Lina Saud. “White Categorical Ambiguity: Exclusion of Middle Eastern Americans From the White Racial Category.” Social Psychological and Personality Science 12, no. 5 (July 1, 2021): 593–602. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550620930546.
Sahawneh, Zaid Rami. “The Lack of Arab American Categorization in the U.S. Census and Its Legal Implications for Protection Against Discrimination.” Columbia Undergraduate Law Review (October 19, 2022). https://www.culawreview.org/journal/the-lack-of-arab-american-categorization-in-the-us-census-and-its-legal-implications-for-protection-against-discrimination.
Maghbouleh, Neda, Ariela Schachter, and René D. Flores. “Middle Eastern and North African Americans May Not Be Perceived, nor Perceive Themselves, to Be White.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 119, no. 7 (February 15, 2022): e2117940119. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2117940119.
Ibid.
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