Too Visible and Not Visible Enough
Colonialism, “othering,” and distorted, stereotypic portrayals are not new; they date back centuries. Harmful, ignorant views have long made MENA communities a target of workplace discrimination, social exclusion, and hate crimes. Then the events of 9/11 fueled a particularly virulent form of racism against us, resulting in heightened surveillance and unfair immigration barriers.
Sanctioned discrimination prevailed in part because MENA communities have been invisible in research. Until recently, federal data combined those of us with MENA ancestry into the same category as White people. This made it difficult to tease out our health and socioeconomic status or to capture information about how our communities access resources and services. Lumping us with the White majority muted and diluted our voices. And it limited the ability of researchers and policymakers to understand our strengths and challenges.
This is finally changing. In 2024, after decades of advocacy by MENA communities, the federal government mandated that every federal agency, including the U.S. Census, establish a MENA box when it collects data on national origin, race, or ethnic identity. State and local governments, academics, and community-based researchers are likely to begin including the same box in their surveys. The MENA category covers 20 groups, from Algerians to Yemeni people. As a result, a wealth of new data about us will become available over the next few years. It will increase MENA visibility by painting a more accurate portrait of our lives.
Beyond the Box: True Community Partnerships
With RWJF’s support, the Center for Arab Narratives has produced Advancing Research with MENA Communities: A Guide. It offers tangible ideas for how researchers and the community can collaborate in non-extractive ways. For knowledge to accurately reflect local conditions, we must carefully consider the ways researchers gather, analyze, and apply data. Equitable and responsive research isn’t about knocking on doors and asking people to participate in a survey. It’s about building trusting relationships, an especially delicate task when people have strong reasons to be distrustful. Advancing Research with MENA Communities describes the long shadow imperialism’s legacy has cast in the United States. Acknowledging how events in our home countries have caused harm here in the United States is a step toward repair.
Repair also requires humility. Given deeply ingrained misconceptions about us, researchers must look inward and evaluate their own biases while investing time in understanding MENA history, culture, and the distinct circumstances our communities here face. Some of us have lived in the United States for generations; others are recent immigrants. We differ in language, religion, culture, and in the reasons we or our ancestors came here. MENA experiences are also deeply intersectional, encompassing identities across race, sexuality, and more.
Local social service and healthcare organizations are particularly important to MENA populations. Those organizations can serve as a bridge to researchers as they collaborate with MENA communities in designing research. This must happen early so communities can shape questions, share ideas for recruiting participants, and ensure the work generates data that are meaningful to the community. That requires research teams to engage in meaningful dialogue and become comfortable sharing power.
Committing to Collective Wellbeing
Honoring lived experiences moves us closer to ensuring everyone has a fair and just opportunity to thrive. At a time when our country is considering who we welcome, who we protect, and who belongs, it is more important than ever to deepen and sustain our commitment to a fair and just future where everyone can thrive. RWJF’s approach to advancing health equity and cultivating a sense of belonging reflects our belief that our lives are interconnected and none of us can truly be well unless all of us are well.
Much of the guidance offered in Advancing Research with MENA Communities is equally relevant to other studies aimed at dismantling structural and systemic barriers to equity. Most marginalized groups face racism. Though our stories differ, our struggles are similar. We share the pain of how society has “othered” us and overlooked our roles in building this country.
Our stories are worth telling, and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence offers a powerful moment to amplify them. As we honor our nation’s promise and the countless ways immigrants have helped realize it, we must also pursue the unfinished work of truth, repair, and transformation. Only by speaking our truth can we dismantle systemic barriers and replace toxic narratives. Together, we can celebrate our culture and history and acknowledge the contributions MENA communities have made to a shared vision of democracy.
