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Census Report on Arab Ancestry Counters Stereotypes

Posted on Wednesday March 9, 2005

The U.S. Census Bureau’s release of “The People of Arab Ancestry in the United States” yesterday helps to educate the public about the integration and contributions of Americans of Arab descent.

Based on ancestry responses from the 2000 Census, the report highlights educational, professional, economic and social trends among those in America who identify with one or more Arabic-speaking origin, and follows a report released in 2003 on geographic distribution of the Arab ancestry population. While the Arab American Institute projects the ethnic population to be more than 3 times the number of ancestry responses (and this Census report does not profile mixed ancestry responses), AAI recognizes the value of focusing constructive attention on a community that has been the subject of public suspicion and policies of racial profiling.

“The report on socio-economic achievement of Arab Americans is an example of positive uses of Census data that can assist researchers and service providers, in sharp contrast to the 2004 controversy surrounding the requests for Arab ancestry data by the Department of Homeland Security,” said Helen Samhan, executive director of the AAI Foundation which operates a Census Information Center in partnership with the Bureau. Aware of the perception problems caused by that exchange, Census officials have taken steps to reassure the public by implementing review procedures for requests on sensitive populations, appointing a Chief Privacy Officer, and consulting with experts on long term privacy and access issues that need attention.

The report on Arab Ancestry can be viewed at: http://www.census.gov/prod/2005pubs/censr-21.pdf

Founded in 1985, the Arab American Institute (AAI) is a nonprofit organization committed to the civic and political empowerment of Americans of Arab descent. AAI provides policy, research and public affairs services to support a broad range of community activities.