In spite of years of research and the recommendations by numerous experts and census officials, the Census Bureau announced on Friday that a MENA category will not be adopted. The White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) finalises the census form before it is presented to Congress for approval. If adopted, the MENA box would not only show on the Census but also on all federal applications that inquire about race and ethnicity. Jaber explained that lack of census representation means that the government cannot address problems that are specific to the Arab community. Lack of representation for Latinos in the race category leads to undercounting the hispanic community.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 27, 2018 03:45 UTC