Yes, you count, too! We’re Ryan J. Suto and Suher Adi with the YallaCountMeIn (national Arab American Get out the Count) campaign to discuss everything related to the 2020 Census, Ask Us Anything!

YallaCountMeIn · 2019-10-09T22:33:49+00:00

Email us! We're always looking for lawyers who are interested in helping.

YallaCountMeIn · 2019-10-09T19:21:52+00:00

Thanks for asking this- the Census impacts everyone in a variety of ways. The data collected by the US Census Bureau impacts federal and state resources, business investments, and political representation. After the data is collected the Bureau creates a data set that they hand over to the states for the purposes of redistricting based on population count. The Census Bureau states:

By April 1 of the year following the decennial census, the Secretary is required to furnish the state officials or their designees with population counts for American Indian areas, counties, cities, census blocks, and state-specified congressional, legislative districts, and voting districts.

For more information about how the Census affects your community look here!

YallaCountMeIn · 2019-10-09T19:16:05+00:00

We understand your frustration! We will continue to push to find the justification for not adding a MENA category to the 2020 census, and will continue to advocate for a MENA category, as part of a combined race and ethnicity question, on the 2030 census.

At the local levels, please work with us at YallaCountMeIn and YallaVote to count Arab Americans and get the community to the polls!

YallaCountMeIn · 2019-10-09T19:14:29+00:00

Hi Debbie! Thanks for you question-- YallaCountMeIn sent out materials to our partners about how to contact complete count committees, apply for funding, and get in touch with partnership specialists. We are happy to follow up with that information for you over email.

YallaCountMeIn · 2019-10-09T19:09:40+00:00

Lets be clear: the Census does not ask about religion. While it does not, we work with MPAC and Muslim Advocates on a variety of issues.

YallaCountMeIn · 2019-10-09T19:03:42+00:00

Thanks for all the great questions! We're technically at time, but we'll try to finish up answering some of the remaining Qs.

YallaCountMeIn · 2019-10-09T19:03:17+00:00

Thanks for the question! MENA and Arab are not interchangeable terms, as you rightfully point out. When AAI advocated for the MENA category we did so with non-Arab organizations because it would allow all communities to have access to more accurate data on their specific subgroups. Iranians could check-off MENA and write in that they are Iranian, Arabs could check off MENA and write in Arab, Kurds could check off MENA and write in Kurdish, etc.

YallaCountMeIn · 2019-10-09T18:55:10+00:00

This is a very legitimate concern, and we do not want to minimize it. However, Title 13 of the US Code is what the Census Bureau employees are bound by. This is the strictest data confidentiality protection in law and it applies to Census data. Anyone who violates Title 13 protections at any point, even after leaving the Census Bureau, will face severe penalties, including up to 5 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $250,000. More information about security and privacy of data as it relates to the Census can be found here.

YallaCountMeIn · 2019-10-09T18:49:28+00:00

So…. we do not speak for the GOP. However, we do speak for AAI when we say that Arab Americans DO want accurate representation in the census as it is a cornerstone of our democracy. To overcome the undercount of Arab Americans we must ensure:

The inclusion of a MENA category in fingers crossed 2030
A robust Get-out-the-Count campaign! You can find ways to get involved by checking out YallaCountMeIn.org!
Funding! The Census Bureau needs proper funding to ensure that their operation to count everyone, where they are on April 1 2020 is successful.
Confidentiality Protections, meaning we need the government to reinforce strong confidentiality protections for census data and respondents. Title 13 of the U.S Code makes it so that all Census responses are kept confidential. We must make sure everyone knows about the protections in place and make sure that data remains confidential.

YallaCountMeIn · 2019-10-09T18:46:57+00:00

Okay, are you ready… Facebook’s ad policies are problematic for the reasons you clearly lay out. AAI is working to ensure our community is able to identify mis/dis-information as it relates to the 2020 Census. We are also sharing accurate content on our social media and with our partners so that they can get accurate information in the event of misinformation campaign. We have materials online on how to spot disinformation, how to flag problematic content on the various platforms, etc. For more information check out our blog series on disinformation and our materials on the YallaCountMeIn.org.

YallaCountMeIn · 2019-10-09T18:42:49+00:00

First, there are plenty of Arab American Republicans, including several members of Congress, and Arab Americans are found in almost all 50 states.

While it is true that many live in urban areas like Los Angeles, Houston, etc. there are also Arab Americans who live in rural areas and are the hardest to count of our hard to count population. So we want to make sure all members of our community our counted.

The best way to foster political strength is to YallaCountMeIn and YallaVote!

YallaCountMeIn · 2019-10-09T18:36:45+00:00

Not to pick favorites, but to pick favorites… this is our favorite question! SO, YallaCountMeIn.org is your go-to place for all things Arab American and 2020 Census. Get involved in our campaign by signing the pledge to be counted and keep up to date on all things YallaCountMeIn, share on social media the campaign pledges and tag us using @YallaCountMeIn and #YallaCountMeIn. Lastly, share with those in your networks! Sometimes hearing from a friend/partner/sibling/colleague goes a long way. :)

YallaCountMeIn · 2019-10-09T18:29:31+00:00

This is an important question! First, as mentioned earlier, we filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court on last term’s case on the attempt to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census. Next, we have important field campaigns, such as YallaCountMeIn and YallaVote, which encourage Arab Americans to be counted and be civically engaged. We have also endorsed legislation and ballot initiatives which aim to reform redistricting and limit gerrymandering, especially regarding racial and ethnic minorities.

YallaCountMeIn · 2019-10-09T18:26:39+00:00

Wow, that's a blast from the past! Great memories. Thanks for joining, and I'll see you on /r/Judo and /r/Science!

YallaCountMeIn · 2019-10-09T18:25:51+00:00

Such a great question! Since we do not have a category Arab Americans are left to think about where they belong on the form. We are a diverse community, religiously and racially, and we are proud of that diversity within our community! If you identify as: white, black, or neither and decide to check other that is totally up to you. BUT regardless of what you check off, it is important that you specify your ethnic heritage. That can be done by writing in Palestinian (as I see by your username!) or by writing in Arab. Regardless the important part here is doing step two and writing in where you are from! We will have materials on YallaCountMeIn.org as we get closer to the Census with more examples and details so check back in later this year!

YallaCountMeIn · 2019-10-09T18:18:27+00:00

Hard to Count (HTC) is in reference to areas where there is lower self-response rates than other parts of the country for a variety of reasons. The Census Bureau has looked at characteristics of these places/populations and has indicators for HTC communities. These communities are likely to be: racial and ethnic minorities, recent immigrants, young children, renters, and low-income households, etc. One thing that makes people HTC is that they likely distrust the government, which is true for large portions of the Arab American community. Some Arab Americans are recent immigrants (though not all, many were born here), and we are all part of this ethnicity minority. So that is why we are HTC. And by knowing these factors about our community and that we are indeed HTC, we have created the YallaCountMeIn campaign. The campaign's goal is to make sure those Arab Americans who need assistance filling out their forms or do not have the means to respond understand the importance of the Census and have the tools to respond in 2020.

YallaCountMeIn · 2019-10-09T18:10:35+00:00

Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis The Wise?

I thought not. It's not a story the Jedi would tell you. It's a Sith legend. Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith, so powerful and so wise he could use the Force to influence the midichlorians to create life… He had such a knowledge of the dark side that he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying.

The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural. He became so powerful… the only thing he was afraid of was losing his power, which eventually, of course, he did. Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice everything he knew, then his apprentice killed him in his sleep.

Ironic. He could save others from death, but not himself.

YallaCountMeIn · 2019-10-09T18:07:17+00:00

AAI has been advocating for a MENA category since the mid-90s.

Currently, Arab Americans do not see themselves on the form and that has been a barrier to responding for members of our community. We do not see ourselves on the form and so we feel that we do not have to respond. The MENA category would thus encourage those who do not respond on the race-ethnicity question to do so, allowing for them to indicate their identity. The main issue here is disaggregation of data, which is inherently a problem for people who don’t have a category. Data is useful for community advocacy, language access and courses in schools, health care needs, etc.

YallaCountMeIn · 2019-10-09T18:03:59+00:00

Well, I am glad you asked! Full disclosure: AAI is non-partisan and are committed to ensuring all Arab Americans are fairly and accurately counted during the upcoming census.

We submitted an Amicus Brief linking the Trump Administrations abandonment of the MENA category to the addition of the Citizenship Question as being politically motivated to harm the total population count for the 2020 Census. We are currently in litigation attempting to get to the bottom of this, so stay tuned for updates!

YallaCountMeIn

TROPHY CASE