Op-Ed: How did the MENA community become classified as “White”

Last December, New York State enacted a law requiring agencies that collect demographic data to create new, separate categories for Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) ethnicities. This significant change addresses a longstanding issue that has adversely affected MENA communities. As we welcome these developments, it’s important to understand how these groups were originally classified as white. This classification is a fascinating story, shaped by an America that only allowed white men to hold political power. It was an imperfect solution to the inequities of the time—inequities that, while no longer present, we must remain vigilant against to prevent their return.

Read or download the op-ed here. This op-ed was published in the Queens Ledger here.