[Insert Arab American Zoom]
April is Arab American Heritage Month, nationally recognized since 2021, celebrating the histories and contributions of Arab American communities and the broader Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) region.
For community colleges, this recognition is especially important. We serve diverse student populations, including SWANA students whose identities have historically been underrepresented in data systems.
In the California Community Colleges (CCC) system, student ethnicity categories were expanded via SB 38 in 2019, which included the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) identities, aligning with national efforts to recognize MENA as a distinct category.
Within the CCC system, 14 categories—including “Other Middle Eastern” and “Other North African”—capture some of this diversity. Of these groups, students identifying as Iranian, Iraqi, and within these broader categories illustrate the range of identities that extend beyond current reporting classifications.
CCC MENA Students
Based on the most recent data, students identified as Armenian make up the largest MENA student population, followed by Iranian Persian.
| Expanded MENA Ethnicity | Proporition |
| Armenian | 53% |
| Iranian Persian | 13% |
| Other Middle Eastern | 11% |
| Other North African | 8% |
| Iraqi | 7% |
| Egyptian | 3% |
| Israeli | 3% |
| Lebanese | 3% |
| Palestinian | 3% |
| Syrian | 3% |
| AssyrianSyriac Chaldean | 3% |
| Jordanian | 2% |
| Turkish | 2% |
| Moroccan | 1% |
As we recognize this month, it is a reminder that how we name and measure identity matters. Improving data helps us better understand and support the students we serve.
We appreciate the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office for providing the data that makes this analysis and reflection possible.