Kristen Issa - Include MENA in the Census

AAF Midlands Gold ADDY Award Winner

AAF Midlands Mosaic Award Winner

The "Include MENA in the Census" integrated campaign is a social justice initiative designed as if it were through the American Civil Liberties Union. Currently, people of Middle Eastern and North African descent are not separately recognized on the United States Census and other government and medical forms, instead being classified as "White."

This lack of recognition creates several problems: it fails to acknowledge cultural identity, results in incomplete demographic data, and ignores important health differences between people of Middle Eastern/North African and European descent. This incorrect classification can affect healthcare outcomes and research quality.

As an Arab American, this initiative is a deeply personal passion project. My experiences with the gap between my cultural identity and official classification have shown me how important proper representation is. This campaign comes from a direct understanding of how being "invisible" in demographic data affects both personal identity and community resources.

This campaign works to improve how Arab-Americans are represented in official documents while educating others about why this matters. Through fact-based advocacy, it aims to support both cultural recognition and better public health.