Middle Eastern or North African (MENA)

SUPERVISORS APPROVE ADDING “MIDDLE EASTERN OR NORTH AFRICAN” CATEGORY TO COUNTY FORMS

By Miriam Raftery
 
May 16, 2024 (San Diego) – Arab-Americans have long been excluded from being counted on government forms, from the U.S. census to state and county documents. But that’s changing here in San Diego County, which has one of the state’s largest populations of people of Middle Eastern or North African descent.
 
By a unanimous vote, San Diego County Supervisors on May 1 became the first jurisdiction in California to approve creating a “Middle Eastern or North African” (MENA) category on County forms for individuals to self-identify as MENA.

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