UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER |
PRESENTATION TO THE OFFICE OF INFORMATION AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS (OTRA) FOR THE REVIEW OF FEDERAL RACIAL AND ETHNIC CARRIES STATISTICAL POLICY DIRECTIVE NO. JULY 14. 1994 SAN FRANCISCO ON THE SUBJECT OF THE UNDERSERVED MIDDLE EASTERN* POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES BY: SARAH YERAKAKA FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT NEAR EASTERN ALLIANCE * Middle Eastern/Near Eastern (Middle East is the modern term of Near East). it includes: Afghan. ArAb iincluding the AraJblc speaking populations of North Africa), Armenian, Cypriot (Turkish), Iranian, Israeli (Oriental). Kurdish. Palestinian, Turkish (including the Turkic speaking populations of the old Ottoman empire geographical boundaries), and other populations from the Middle East region, Near eastern Alliance Walnut Creek, CA 94596 Phone or FAX: 1-510-933-4215 July 14, 1994 Dear Members of the Office of information and Regulatory Affairs: On behalf of the Near Eastern Alliance Board of Directors. I would lika to present some issues that are creating some barriers for the Middle Eastern population in the United States. These issues are making the human services delivery system inaccessible to many needy individuals of Middle Eastern oigin. This presentation wi11 address the fol 1owing: 1. Defining underserved populations. 2. Research result. 3, Comparative human services delivery systems. 4. Recommendations. Underserved populations Any professional in the field of human services in the U.S. is well aware of the importance of the "need factors" identified by the U.M. Census Bureau. Therefore. the definition Qf underserved populatiQns are the sub-groups of population whQ is not identified by the U.S. Census in the "Short Form". For the purpose of clarification, let us compare the "White" block with that of another block that has identifications of sub-groups In the short form of the census count. Although the "White" block includes individuals of Western European: EaStern European: and Middle Eastern origins, there is no identification of separate sub-groups for the "White" block. if we were to compare the "Asian" block, we find the following sub-Groups: Chinese, japansse; Vietnamese; Korean; Phillippino; etc. We are in the 1990's. but the Census Bureau is still employing methcds of populations identification fit for the 1960's and 1970'~. despite the fact that the U.S. has received millions of legal immigrants and refuees from the Middle East. aed the former ~oviet Union. Ignoring the United States' demographic char~ges that occurred during the late 1970's. 1980'~, ~ 1990's due to the political unrest in the Middle East. and the collapse of the Soviet Union~ will allow these new unidantified sub-iJroups of the "White" populations to remain an underserved segm~ents of the United States population. The U.S. spends billions of dollar~ each year on the socio economic need of this society. Unfortu~at~ly the present rules and regulations of "Affirmative Action" do not provide any flexibility to demogTaphic changes. Presently there are millions of U.S. "legal" immiirFants and refugees who are unaIDle to access the human services delivery system because the method of population count by the U.S. Census beau is stagnated. '*Equal Rights" and "Equal Opportunities" exis~ in this society. only to the identified populations in the census count, HQw can an underserved and invisible population, like that of the unidentified Middle Eastern population has an "equal opportunity" under the present system? Test Results Of needs Asessment Since the Middle Eastern population is a sub-group of the White population without available data of need factors identification by the U.S. Census ~au, it became nesessary to measure the available outreach and referral services prQvided the health. social, and vocational services to the general public and/or minority groups in contrast to that of the Middle Eastern population. Tne following are the results: For the Health Services. Pearson chi~quare indicates that there is a significant difference (P R 0.051) between those who outreach the general public and/or minority groups (77.38 percent) and those who Qutreach the Middle Eastern population (21,43 percent) to the extent that the result suggests that "although outreach ser~ices are available t0 the general public and/or minority groups, outreac~ to the Middle Eastern population by the health services delivery system is generally not e mp 1 oyed." For the Social Serv~ces, Pearson chi~square indicates that there is a significant difference (P =0.012) between those who outreach the general public and/or minority groups (58.04 percent) and those who outreach the Middle Eastern population (33.70 percent) to the extent that the result suggest that "although outreach ~ervlces are available to the general public and/or minority groups, outreach tQ the Middle Eastern population by the social services delivery system is generally not e mp 1 oyed," For the Vocational services, Pearson chi~quare indicates that there is a significant difference (P ~ 0.004) between those who outreach the general public and/Qr minority groups (79.3 percent)and those who outreach the Middle Eastern population ('26.09 percent) to the extent that the result suggest that "although outreach services are available to the general public and/or minQrity groups, outreach to the Middle Eastern population by the vocational services delivery system is generally not employed." Tnis study documented the significant differential percentage of the perceived need verses the availability of services for the Middle Eastern population in accordance to the service providers feedback in five Bay Area Counties. (Yeraka & Sung, 1993). Please see Exhibit "A" for more details. Ccmparative }-Human, Services Del~very Syst~ems I have been living in the U.S. s~nce 1974. Prior to that I have lived zn Australia for 15 years. During my Fesidency In Australia. the migration policy was opened to "White" populations only, but aftel* the Vietnamese Boat people in the latter part of the 1970's, Australia has opened its immigration policy to all races. I often wondered how Australia has dealt with its multicultural issues? During my recent visit to Australia, I found that availability of human servlces ~s inclusive to all its constituents. Please find enclosed copies of some brochures regarding the delivery system of human services in Australia. It might be interesting to compare languages availability for outreach and referral services in PR 229.9301 - January. 1993 (10 languages) to that of languages availaility in PR 230.9311 - November., 1993, (16 languages). It is obvious that the Australian system automatically adds languages as it may deem to be necessary. Why has the United States Human Services delivery system failed to provide equal outreach and referral services to all its constituents? Please see Exhibit"B" for more details. Recommendations The present system of the U.S. census count is not inclusive in its identificatiQn Of needs factors to the population at large. The present system calls for a television of the "White" block in the short form. It is recommended that the Census Bureau revise the "Short Form" so that identification of the "White" three sub-group populations may be made possible: (1) Western European; (2) Eastern European; ~ (3) Middle Eastern. Bureaucrats of the Human Services delivery system - health, social and vocational. should change the philosophy Of their responsibilities. They should extend their horizQn and responsibilities frQm that of only interpreting the rules ~nd regulations, to that of interpreting the rules and regulations in addition to proposing changes as soon as the needs arise. Since the research results indicate that the primary needs of the Middle Eastern population are presently unmet, spanning from prevention, outreach, and education to treatment and reh~ilitation. The Near Eastern Alliance would like to recommeed that the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs evaluate the presenteEl issues and make the necessary recommendatiQns to the Executive Office of the President, so that the present underserved Middle Eastern population, and other sub-groups of the "White~' population may have equal opportunities in this society. Thank you for your time. Feds hear testimony for census diversity Debate in S.F. over ethnic categories By KATHLEEN BUCKLEY SAN FRANCISCO -- As more than 30 people testified on the mat ter of ra.ce and ethnicity at a federa2 hearing Thursday. two things be. came clear. One. that when the numbers are sma11 there is vast support for allowing individual ethnic groups to define themselves in the next national census. But the second point -- how to redefine virtually everybody -- will likely need much more debate if substantative changes to roe a categories are to be made. Testimony before the Office of Management and Budget on Directive 15, the statistical standards used by the Census Bureau and all federal government reporting, ranged from a call for new "boxes" on the forms for multiracial or multiethnic respondents to doing away with "white" as a category altogoth, or. The OMB is already preparing to test some of the technical aspects of the testimony that came out of Thursday's hearing, the third of four nationwide. But the more substantative decisions on how to track Anerica are on a tight two-year timeline if a new form, and perhaps a new America, is 10 emerge in the 2000 census. While much testimony focused on broad questions of identity, there was overhelming support for a plan to move native Hawaiians from the Asian/Pacific Islander category on government fonns to the indigenous category with Native Americans and Alaska natives. "We're not Asian, nor are we migrants to America" said Clinton Heleniki, a native Hawaiian. For the first time, OMB's chief statistician, Katherine Wallinart, also heard testimony asking that: American Samoans be added to the native category. Several Arab-American groups asked for a Middle Easterner subcategory. Many cited discrimination and inadequate health data tracking. "We am in the 1990s but the Census BUreau is still employing methods ... fit for the 1960s or 1970s,'.' said Sarah Yeraka, founder of the Walnut Creek-based Near Eastern Alliance. She joined others in raising concerns about discrimination in health, social services and jobs. . The massive demographic changes that are taking place open the door for discrim nation, according to legal experts testifying Thursday, But without sufficient data, it can be difficult to identify whether discrimination is based on race, etlhnicity or, as several suggested, simply the color of the skin. Larry Shinagawa, a research associate representing the Center for Census Information and Services, contended that categories created for the 2000 census count should in, elude the growing number of interracial people. He estimated that 23 percent of California's children are of mixed race or ethnic parentage. -- trh@netcom.com trh trh trh trh trh Newsgroups: soc.culture.arabic From: trh@netcom.com (trh trh) Subject: MIDDLEEASTERNERS UNDERSERVED Message-ID: <trhCt7t49.H1s@netcom.com> Date: Wed, 20 Jul 1994 01:21:44 GMT
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