ILLINOIS IS THE FIRST STATE IN THE NATION TO COUNT ARAB AMERICANS
P.A. 103-0414 Adds New MENA Category to State’s Racial/Ethnic Classification
(WORTH, IL – August 4, 2023) – On Friday August 4, 2023, Governor Pritzker made history by signing legislation that adds the Middle Eastern North African (MENA) category to the list of racial/ethnic categories used for data collection statewide. Illinois now leads the nation by becoming the first state to collect data using the MENA category.
Efforts to move the MENA legislation HB 3768, now Public Act 103-0414, were led by Arab American Family Services (AAFS), the leading multiservice organization serving the Arab community in the Chicago metropolitan area. AAFS convened a coalition of Arab American organizations, including the Arab American Bar Association (AABAR), the American Middle East Voters Alliance (AMVOTE), the Arab American Business & Professional Association (ABPA), the Syrian Community Network (SC), the Middle Eastern Immigrant and Refugee Alliance (MIRA) and others, who worked together to advocate for the measure.
State House Representative Abdelnasser Rashid, 21st District, who was the chief sponsor and champion of the legislation, is also the first Palestinian American to serve in the Illinois General Assembly. State Senator Ram Villivalam, 8 District, a long-standing supporter of the MENA community led the efforts to pass the measure in the Senate.
“I am proud to see Illinois become the first state to count Arab Americans and minorities from the Middle East.” said State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid (D-Chicago). “This information will allow for a more comprehensive understanding of the experiences our communities face and will give us the tools we need to develop better policies.”
“For the first time in history, policy makers, government agencies and community organizations like AAFS, will have the data needed to understand and improve the health, education, and economic conditions of Arab Americans families,” said Itedal Shalabi, co-founder and executive director of the Arab American Family Services (AAFS), “AAFS will have the data to advocate for resources and programs our community desperately needs.”
We have been struggling for so long to make the case that information on Arab Americans, including discrimination and disparity data, were critically needed. The lack of data available during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic was a dramatic example, but is also true for employment, housin domestic violence, disability, senior services, and other programs,” said Nareman Taha, co-founder of the Arab American Family Services (AAFS), “that’s why this effort was so important to us, now Arab Americans will no longer be invisible, this is a game changer for our community.”
The bill will require state agencies to include the MENA category in addition to white, black or African American, American Indian or Alaskan Native, Asian, Hispanic, Native Hawaiian, or Other Pacific Islander when collecting and reporting statistical data on ethnic or racial categories by 2025.
