I'm not white. I'm not black. I'm not Asian. I'm not Hispanic.
*groan*. Is this going to be one of those cliché articles discussing the multiracial citizen's struggle to check a race box? Well, not exactly. It's not about a mixed citizen, and it's not really cliché because it becomes relevant again every ten years when we have to fill out the U.S. Census, and roughly every four years when applying to schools, and every time one fills out a job application, or a survey (but remember, it's just for "statistical purposes"...please.) or pretty much for almost every single piece of paperwork we have to fill out. Cliché? I think not.
Before I begin my writing rampage, firing my missiles of information and experiences at you regarding the futility of the current race box system, I want to provide you with some background facts.
I come from a Moroccan family and throughout my life, I've had trouble checking the boxes to indicate my "race". In elementary school, I think I checked the "white" box which is interesting to me now--I think it was because at that point in my life, I thought Moroccans were the only types of people in the world and I fit into the category of lighter skinned Moroccans (I'd spent some years living in Morocco as a child and the environment there is not as heterogenous as California). As a 6-year-old when I met my father's Egyptian friend, the first thing I said to him was, "Hey, you speak like they do on TV!," referring to the Egyptian soap operas that are always playing on the dish. I'm glad to say I've come a long way from elementary school and my world has broadened to include people of all kinds of races, faiths, and ethnicities--I now am fully aware that those actors on TV also exist in real life!
As I grew older and became aware of social structure and society in the United States, I began to realize that yes, although I am light skinned for being Moroccan, there's a whole world of people that are much lighter than me, and they are the true "whites". That's also when I learned that Italians, Greeks, Armenians and even Persians are considered white. Just when I was starting to feel comfortable that others shared my olive skin and feel I could relate to them (there aren't very many Moroccans my age where I live), they were whisked away by a category that indicated a whole different world I could never relate to.
Because "white" does not only embody a color. What the term "white" means in the United States today is something that transcends any skin color. White means the suburbs and white means affluence and white means picket fences. Some people may argue then, that I do fit into the white category based on my definition of the term. But white also means no questions asked ever, no extra security checks at the airport or in that same category, no mispronunciations of my last name or being told it's a "cool" name as a precursor for the question of where I'm from. Being white means being untouchable in this country.
In middle school, high school, and now in college, I've started alternating between the "African/Black" box and the "Other" box. During the cutthroat period of college applications, my friends would ask, "Hey Sarah, can't you apply as African-American? SO unfair." I'm sorry, but I don't want to get accepted into college and be tossed into the gossip conversations of "well, she just got in because she's African-American...well, technically, she is". There was one university application--the name doesn't come to mind, right now--but they had a box for "White/North African". That one made me especially mad. Those are two completely different worlds, because as far as I'm concerned, in places like Europe, for example, "White" and "North African" represent completely different worlds. "Other", it was, for college applications at least. Sometimes, there's a "Middle Eastern" box, but I don't check that either. I don't consider myself Middle Eastern, I consider myself Arab. That's a whole other conversation, however. The last job I applied for, I checked off "African" crossing my fingers that my black manager wouldn't comment on it. Awkward. Also, I can't forget the comments from black peers, "You're African? Nawww, no way!". YES WAY, I'm Arab, I'm African, I'm not white, I'm not black. Here we go again...
Let's cut straight to the point. That $300 billion that will be redistributed to local and state governments and communities should reflect the accurate amount of Arabs in the United States. Arabs, please crawl out of your "white" and "other" boxes now, and make sure our numbers are reflected accordingly in the 2010 census. Let's get our own box.
"The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."
- Stephen Hawking
7.17.2009
All Boxed In
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16 comments:
i can almost relate to this. when i would have to check the "race" box, i wasn't sure if jew would be considered white or other. even though i look white, i consider myself jewish before i even consider my skin color. and when people tell me i'm white, i say, "no dude, i'm jew."
honestly though, the government won't add boxes because it'd cost an assload of cash. and because they just want to know what color your skin is. it doesn't matter what you ACTUALLY are, only what you look like. at the government census level that is.
also, white's aren't untouchable. trailer-trash gets as much of a bed rep as any other stereotype/cliche. it might seem like whites live on easy street, but being that i can "pass" as white, i've experienced that side of things, and it isn't like you'd think. whites - particularly white men - get discriminated by every minority. people perpetuate the same level of stereotyping and ignorance that was employed against them. it's ironic in a funny-sad way. also, white people aren't all rich or suburban or privileged. most of them are just plain folks trying to get by.
affirmative action is wrong just as much discrimination is wrong just as much as assuming you only got your job because you're a minority/woman is wrong just as much as assuming you only got your job because you're a white man.
it's all fucked-up.
You bring up great points. I was thinking about the trailer trash example. But, you failed to see my point. White, in my opinion, does not represent a skin color anymore. Therefore, under my definition, poor white folks would not be considered "white" because they fail to fit the socioeconomic category that that term now represents. President Obama could be considered "white" because of his social position, but in the views of others and because of the controversy surrounding his name, he is not white.
You also bring up the point that the government census only cares about skin color. Well, this is the main point I make about why the census is flawed. Many people (not only Arabs) are voicing their opinions regarding this issue. If you're not going to represent every single ethnic/racial group, or if you're going to misrepresent a significant portion of them (ex. Arabs counting as whites), then don't represent any one at all in the Census.
well, then maybe calling them "white" is misleading. perhaps call them "elites" or "upper-class" or something like that. true, white traditionally were this, and so i see the connection you're making, but it distorts your point... at least to me.
i agree with you. the census IS flawed. but that's hardly to be unexpected. government is great at fucking things up. in fact, that the government DOESN'T care what race you "actually" are, seems to be somewhat of a positive reversal compared to how things were naught but fifty years ago.
still, someday, perhaps, there will be a change in the boxes.
I feel like with the current situation with every group of people wanting their own box, we will eventually come to a point where boxes will completely be eradicated or we will have hundreds of specific boxes. Why don't we just group people based on political ideologies, for example? Or based on income?
The point of showing the definition of white as being above color is to express the absurdity of Arabs being placed in that category. Sure many Arabs may have "white skin", for example, but their community needs are similar to the rest of their fellow Arabs. We need to get an accurate Census accounts of each specific category of people in order to cater to their individual needs--although the Census is not the key to catering to community needs, it's a start. And mislabeling Arabs and other groups as "white" is not the way to go. When you start treating said minorities as "white", then you can place them in the category.
Before aniything else, you are a beautiful human being Sarah my sweet girl :)
And je t'aime :) meme qd tu as des doutes des fois ha ha ha ha
Mom :)
Totally agree...it's funny that you mention Armenians...because my bf is Armenian and we argue about the whole "white" thing all the time. Very interesting post!
Btw, I was reading your past posts and you mentioned UCSD! I went there! Oh how I miss San Diego!
Hey, thanks for the comment. Following my blog is easy, just click follow on the follower widget in the side bar. Or just copy my blog link and add it to following list in your blogger dashboard :) You can also click subscribe in the right tab of my blog :)
I completely get this post. I am Mexican and Jewish, a combination that people usually "don't get," when I tell them. I check the hispanic box on forms, but it feels limiting doing so. For the longest time growing up I always felt I had to choose between being Mexican and Jewish. How could someone be both?
I understand what you're saying about being Arab but not Middle Eastern. Studying Arabic for a year brought to my attention which countries were considered "Arab." Surprise everyone, the Arab countires don't all exist in the Middle East.
Interesting post =)
Dominican mother/Egyptian father. Those stupid little boxes still leave me flustered. "Name" check, "Address" check, "blah blah, Race/Ethnicity" *long pause. Usually I pick Latin or Hispanic. My father lives 8 hours away in Jersey, and while I periodically speak to him, it's safe to say that I know far more about my Dominican background than my Egyptian one. If anything though I identify with being Arab. But quite honestly I find those dreadful little boxes pointless, long story short, I was born here in America, I've grown up here, I associate myself as an American before anything else, my race and ethnic background is pretty irrelevant in the grander scheme of things.
One more thing, my father wanted to name me Sarah (pronounced Sah-ra not the American way), all my cartouches say Sarah on them. My mom liked the name Ivanna more, naming me after Ivanna Trump. Freaky.
what an awesome mix, Ivanna!
What's funny is my dad has an Egyptian friend--I call him Ammi Ahmad (Uncle Ahmad) because he's elderly and always brings us candy, he's so sweet. But ANYWAYS, he went to Egypt and brought me back a hieroglyphic necklace with my name spelled Sah-ra as well, haha.
This is a fascinating post, and very interesting to read about -- I'm 100% South Indian, so I guess I always check the "Asian" box and don't really wrestle with my identity the way you do. One of my best friends is Arab - but she's also middle eastern and I feel that she is extremely confident and comfortable with her identity as an Arab woman. Thus, I don't think I ever really thought about this difficulty - strange to think. I definitely think, in the US, there isn't a good conception of the Arab cultures and countries -- this needs to be changed. Hopefully people like you can bring this to the forefront!
Nice post, Sarah. You know, there's a lot of bizarre and interesting history surrounding the reasons that Arabs are considered white in the United States...it stems mostly from the first major wave of Arab immigration (Syrians and Lebanese) fighting for the right to BE white (check this out: http://academic.udayton.edu/race/01race/White05.htm). So rather than it originally being imposed on Arabs, it was actually a conscious fight, just like it was for Jews, Greeks, Italians, etc. Because, of course, "white" meant better, and unfortunately, to many, still does.
Forgot to add also that this is doubly frustrating for North Africans, some of whom (especially Mauritanians) choose to identify as African. They're not allowed to check African-American on college financial aid applications (the one time it matters, in terms of affirmative action and scholarships)
Sarah, thanks for stopping by my blog. This is a very thought-provoking post--I love it. I used to wonder which box to check too, 'cause technically I'm kinda pink.
I like your point that 'white' isn't about color but about privilege. My family is Irish all the way back (except for that errant Amish branch), and for a lot of the 19th century Irish were the trailer trash of the Northeast. When jobs were advertised, there would often be a little post-script: NINA--No Irish Need Apply.
Having come along up after the Irish were assimilated and considered as 'white' in your concept, I often wonder how different my life would be if I had been born different: Black, Arab, Indian, Japanese, Chinese. Interesting, because no matter how much we try we can't really walk in another's shoes. We have to walk beside him/her and see the world from that vantage point. But that's never the same, is it?
I always checked the 'other' box, because I hated that the boxes were there in the first place.
Hi Alaoui,
I have to say as a white american and someone that was married to a North African that I understand some of your sentiments on all things 'White' in this country. It is annoying when any race becomes too dominant and considered what is 'good' or 'powerful', etc. However, I notice that my Algerian family very much values whiteness and their identity as caucasians (these people are Arab, not Berber). Hence, I feel that a bit of this 'issue' is both American as well as North African! I mean, it certainly spans the globe.
This is Merriam Webster's definition of Caucasian, which I found interesting. I know your'e using the term 'white', which is a bit different.
Causasian:
of, constituting, or characteristic of a race of humankind native to Europe, North Africa, and southwest Asia and classified according to physical features —used especially in referring to persons of European descent having usually light skin pigmentation...
Oh, and Zek made some good points about the hardships of lower class whites. I feel that all peoples of lower classes have a very hard time in both this and other countries. Race does not necessarily denote an 'easy' life...
Anyway, very interesting post & point of view on a serious and not talked enough about topic. Stella
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