U.S. Census says I’m ‘white,’ but I’m not

In January, the Federal Interagency Technical Working Group on Race and Ethnicity Standards recommended adding Midde East/North Africa to the census and invited public comments. (Paul Sancya/AP)

Often, when I complete a questionnaire or application, I am unable to find an appropriate box to check that represents my ethnic and racial identity. The U.S. Census classifies me as “white,” but am I really “white?”

Growing up in Lebanon, I learned that I am either Lebanese or Arab, but after I moved to the U.S., I gained a new conceptualization of my ethnic identity perceived by the general American society and the U.S. Census Bureau.