The Census Bureau conducted the 2015 National Content Test: Race and Ethnicity Analysis Report, to address some of the controversies about discrimination that have been overlooked since the 1997 Revision to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity was completed. The overwhelmingly statistically significant data concluded that the use of a distinct Middle Eastern & North African (MENA) category produces more accurate data for those it represents and that this panethnic classification system (countries included, wording, etc) worked well at identifying these groups. They recommended “that it is optimal to use a dedicated ‘Middle Eastern or North African’ response category.”
However, even after these significant recommendations, the Census Bureau, to the extreme displeasure of MENA Americans and allies, did not include a MENA option on the 2020 Census, nor did they provide adequate reasoning. Race and ethnicity Census data influences how more than $675 billion in federal funds is distributed including healthcare, education, employment, and other programs but also provides accurate research data for civil rights policies.
While we must wait until 2030 for the next Census, we can work now to ensure that Penn State MENA students are no longer an invisible underrepresented and misclassified group. Penn State must offer appropriate race/ethnicity inclusion and diversity and/or minority-based scholarship opportunities to its MENA students within its admissions and financial application systems.