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Cook County approves resolution to include Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) category in demographic data
Summary
The Cook County Board of Commissioners voted to approve a resolution encouraging county agencies to include Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) as a demographic classification after public testimony from MENA advocates and a formal motion by Commissioner Britton.
The Cook County Board of Commissioners voted to approve a resolution encouraging county agencies to include Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) as an option in racial and ethnic data collection.
The resolution, introduced as item 25.1853, was moved by Commissioner Britton and seconded by Commissioner Kevin Morrison; commissioners carried the motion by voice vote after a formal call for the question. The board’s clerk recorded the outcome as approved after the chair announced, “the ayes have it.”
The measure was the subject of public comment earlier in the meeting. William Haddad, identified as a retired judge and chairman of the American Middle East Voters Alliance and founding president of the Arab American Bar Association, told commissioners that Chicago has large and concentrated MENA-origin communities and urged the county to follow Illinois and the City of Chicago in recognizing MENA in official classifications. “Chicago has the third largest Iraqi population, fifth largest Yemeni population, fourth largest Syrian population, and the largest Palestinian population in The United States,” Haddad said, adding that his group’s voter data estimates 355,000 registered voters in Illinois from the MENA community and that MENA residents make up about 5.57% of the county’s voting population according to his organization’s data.
Supporters framed the change as a data and public-health tool: proponents said better demographic data would allow the county to monitor disparities in health, employment and other services more accurately. The resolution does not itself compel all county contractors to change forms; it urges county agencies that compile racial and ethnic classifications to include MENA in their internal data collection practices and to report back to the board as appropriate.
Commissioners did not debate the resolution at length on the floor after the motion; the board proceeded to record the voice vote and move on with the agenda.
The board’s approval directs staff and relevant agencies to take steps consistent with the resolution language and to coordinate classification changes where feasible. No implementation timetable or specific data-collection technical standards were included in the motion on the floor.
The resolution passed as item 25.1853; affected departments will likely follow with technical guidance or administrative changes if they adopt the recommendation.
