California State Assembly Reintroduces the MENA Inclusion Act:
CA MENA Civil Rights Coalition Renews Push for Equity and Representation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 6, 2025
Contacts:
- Amin Nash, amin@aaciviccouncil.org, 702-493-3447
- Sophia Armen, sophia@armenianactionnetwork.org, 818-625-6284
CALIFORNIA - [1/6/2025] - The California MENA Civil Rights Coalition proudly celebrates the re-introduction of the AB 91, the CA MENA Inclusion Act, led by Assemblymember John Harabedian. Supported by key community partners across the state, this landmark legislation represents a historic step toward equity and representation for California’s unique and diverse Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) communities.
The California MENA Inclusion Act mandates that all state departments, agencies, and commissions collecting demographic data include a distinct “MENA” category on intake forms. This critical update to California policies acknowledges the diverse ethnic sub-populations within the MENA region and aims to rectify decades of erasure, underreporting, and invisibility. These systemic oversights have significantly hindered the allocation of resources and support essential to California's MENA population's quality of life and well-being.
The California MENA Civil Rights Coalition is a coalition of the leading MENA-led and MENA constituency-based organizations that work to advance MENA civil rights in the State of California and is the convener of the #CountMENAInCA campaign.
CA MENA Civil Rights Coalition Quote:
“California is home to a vibrant and diverse MENA community that has positively impacted the state for generations. From establishing cultural neighborhoods like Tehrangeles, Little Armenia, and Little Arabia to earning prestigious honors like Academy Awards and serving as educators, doctors, and advocates, the MENA community has uplifted the Golden State in countless ways.
However, lacking a formal MENA category in demographic data has perpetuated inequities in healthcare, education, civil rights, and economic opportunities. This omission has left MENA Californians invisible in policymaking and underserved by programs that promote equity.
After tireless advocacy during the 2024 legislative session, the CA MENA Coalition remains steadfast in its mission to see this transformative legislation passed. The Coalition highlights that the passage of the CA MENA Inclusion Act will enable policymakers and community organizations to accurately assess and address disparities faced by MENA populations, ensure equitable allocation of resources across healthcare, education, and economic development, and recognize and uplift the unique cultural and economic contributions of MENA communities to California.”
Statements from Community Organizations:
"The Arab American Civic Council is thrilled to support the CA MENA Inclusion Act, which resonates deeply with our organization’s mission. Having dedicated over a decade to empowering Arab Americans in the Greater LA Area through civic engagement, we recognize the distinctive needs of the Middle Eastern and North African communities we serve, from equal representation in civil rights to equal housing, healthcare, and education opportunities. The CA MENA Inclusion Act is pivotal in recognizing the population in all state data collection forms, which will provide important measurements to monitor discrimination and civil rights violations better, support Arab American entrepreneurs with state resources, and address community-specific health concerns. With this legislation, Arab Americans in California will no longer be overlooked. This marks a transformative moment for our community."
- Rashad Al-Dabbagh, Executive Director, Arab American Civic Council
“CAIR-CA proudly joins our coalition partners in celebrating the introduction of the California MENA Inclusion Act in the California State Legislature. For too long, the Middle Eastern/ North African community in California has been underrepresented and deprived of resources due to a lack of accurate data collection. As the largest civil rights organization representing American Muslims and over 1 million California Muslims, CAIR-CA has firsthand seen the effects of this issue on the community across all spheres of life - be it in schools, social services, or courtrooms. This urgent bill will ensure services made for and provided to the community are culturally sensitive, linguistically relevant, and catered to the community’s unique needs. We look forward to seeing the California MENA Inclusion Act propel through the legislature and become a reality for our community in 2024.”
- Basha Jamil, Policy and Advocacy Manager, Council on American-Islamic Relations, California (CAIR-CA) Los Angeles (CAIR-LA)
“The California MENA Inclusion Act is a major leap forward in advancing the civil rights of our communities, including Armenian-Americans. For far too long, MENA-Americans have been invisibilized, marginalized, and misrepresented. With this bill, we, as MENA-Americans in California, are speaking for ourselves and declaring boldly that we must be represented too. As Armenian-American Action Network, we know data on MENA-Americans will break down many doors in issue areas that our communities face every day— from healthcare and housing to education, business, representation, voting rights, and the arts, and will help us fight erasure and discrimination. The introduction of the bill from Assemblymember Harabedian represents a major milestone for MENA communities in California. It is time to #CountMENAInCA”
- Dr. Sophia Armen, Executive Director, Armenian-American Action Network
"Somali Family Service of San Diego proudly joins the coalition in supporting the MENA Inclusion Act's introduction to the California State Legislature. Our organization serves multicultural refugee and immigrant communities primarily in San Diego's Central and East County regions through health and wellness, economic development, youth leadership, refugee integration, and workforce development programs," said Ahmed Sahid, President and CEO of Somali Family Service of San Diego. "The MENA Inclusion Act would bolster efforts statewide by promoting access to accurately collected and reported demographic data while supporting the equitable distribution of culturally and linguistically-appropriate resources."
- Ahmed Sahid, President and CEO, Somali Family Service of San Diego
“The American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) gladly joins the coalition of Arab, Middle Eastern, and North African community organizations supporting the proposed MENA Inclusion Act in the California State Legislature. California’s recognition of our community is an essential step to repair decades of disenfranchisement and erasure on an administrative level. As the country’s largest grassroots civil rights organization for Arab Americans, ADC is encouraged by the potential of this proposed bill to provide long-overdue resources and recognition for the community. By requiring state departments to collect and publish comprehensive demographic data, the Act will pave the way for targeted interventions and tailored support in areas such as healthcare, education, and social services. The passage of this bill will not only advance the civil rights of Arab Americans and MENA individuals but also reaffirm California's commitment to diversity and inclusion. ADC looks forward to working alongside policymakers and community partners to ensure the successful implementation of the California MENA Inclusion Act."
- Abed Ayoub, Executive Director, American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)
We applaud the re-introduction of the MENA Inclusion Act in California by Assemblyman Harabedian, a bill that advances the needs and success of our community through basic visibility. NIAC has played an active role in advancing this issue for the Iranian-American community – from the 2010 Census to the 2020 Census to the upcoming 2030 Census to now, with these significant, state-level efforts in keeping with the federal government’s own adoption of a MENA category. This is the first of many steps to not just put our community on the map through formal data collection, but to subsequently help address health disparities, business and community growth, political participation, and other defining facets of our communities which have been harmfully overlooked for far too long. We look forward to the passage and implementation of this bill and the benefits it will bring about for the Iranian-American community and other MENA sub-communities alike within the state of California.
- Myriam Sabbaghi, National Organizing Director at the National Iranian American Council (NIAC)
“The Arab Cultural and Community Center (ACCC) strongly endorses the MENA Inclusion Act, which would amplify the voices of our community members whose numerous contributions to American culture and society have often gone unrecognized. Not only would this bill highlight our contributions but it would allow us to properly address our community's distinct resource needs which include health care, affordable housing, educational opportunities, and civic engagement. The MENA Inclusion Act would provide our communities equitable access to resources and opportunities. This move is necessary and long overdue."
- Linda Khoury-Umili, Advocacy and Civic Engagement Coordinator for the Arab Cultural and Community Center in the San Francisco Bay Area
“Access California Services proudly joins the coalition of our Middle Eastern and North African community organizations and is excited for the introduction of the MENA Inclusion Act in the California State Legislature. This bill holds the promise of promoting substantial benefits by creating targeted health programs, vocational training, and educational opportunities that are culturally sensitive and tailored to the unique needs of the MENA population. AccessCal believes the bill is not just a checkbox but a commitment to inclusivity, amplifying the voices of the MENA community in shaping policies while working closely with decision-makers to benefit us all and celebrates the diverse identity of the MENA population.”
- Nahla Kayali, Founder and Executive Director, Access California Services
"The National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC) is proud to support and be a part of the California MENA Coalition supporting the introduction of the California MENA Inclusion Act. This bill gives us visibility and amplifies our collective voice while ensuring the unique needs of Americans from the MENA region are met. People from the MENA region are unable to quantify the inequities they face in healthcare, primary and secondary education, and economic opportunities. Passing this legislation would show California's commitment to recognizing and uplifting communities that have brought so much to the state already.”
- Rima Meroueh, Director of the National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC)
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