What is your MENA Story?

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What is your MENA Story? *

Have you ever filled out a government form and wondered,

“Where’s the race/ethnicity box that represents ME?”

We want to change that! For too long, MENA communities have been invisible in government data. Your voice can help us get it!

By sharing your story, you’re not just speaking out - you’re pushing Sacramento to take action. Real stories make real change.

Here’s how you can take action today:

✅ Post a testimonial on your socials about how the lack of MENA representation has impacted you.
✅ Tag your assembly members to make sure they hear you loud and clear.
✅ Use the hashtag #CountMENAInCA to build momentum.

Not sure what to say? Our digital toolkit has everything you need to craft your post effortlessly.

Campaign Timeline: Key Dates to Take Action

Mark your calendars! Below are important dates to amplify the #CountMENAInCA campaign on social media. These key moments - from advocacy milestones to cultural and religious observances - are powerful opportunities to raise awareness and mobilize our community.

📢 How to Participate:
✔ Post about the campaign on these key dates.
✔ Tag your representatives to ensure they see our collective voice.
✔ Use the hashtags #CountMENAInCA and #AB91 to build momentum.

💡 Every post counts. Every voice matters. Let’s make history together!

February 26th

Campaign Launch

March 5th

General Post for Advocacy

March 12th

General Post for Advocacy

March 20th

Nowruz - share a post celebrating the New Years of millions of people around the world!

March 29th

Eid al Fitr - Post celebrating the end of Ramadan, celebrated by millions of Americans!

April 2nd

Post to recognize Arab American Heritage Month or your SWANA Heritage - share your story on history and why MENA Inclusion is critical!

April 9th

General Post for recognition!

April 20th

Orthodox Easter - post recognizing the celebration of millions around the world!

April 22nd

MENA Advocacy Days in Sacramento - post to share your participation

Want to Share Your Story in Writing?

Your voice matters! We are collecting short testimonials to feature in our Community Voices section. Your story can help highlight the need for MENA representation, and we’ll transform it into a graphic to share on social media—amplifying your impact even further.

📢 Submit your story today and be part of the movement!

Community Voices

  • “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

  • 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 ... 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 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, Arab Cultural and Community Center in the San Francisco Bay Area

  • "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

  • “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 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)