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The 2010 Census: Don't Put Me In A Big White Box
by SHEREEN MERAJI
March 29, 2010
Source: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125219716

I hate filling out forms that make me check my race.

I call myself a Puerto-Ranian — that's a Puerto Rican/Iranian — kind of like Sabzi mixed with Sofrito, and J-Lo mixed with Googoosh.

My mom is the Puerto Rican, my dad the Iranian. But there isn't a Puerto-Ranian category on the census. So I check Hispanic.

As far as the U.S. government is concerned, I'm just another white Puerto Rican. But this year, I was tempted to switch things up and give a nod to my Persian side — partly because of a hilarious public service announcement an Iranian friend sent to me. In it, a young census taker, who is fluent in Farsi, goes door to door educating various Iranian men on the importance of writing Iranian-American on the 2010 Census. The male characters are all played by comedian Maz Jobrani, an Iranian-American comedian, best known as the Persian member of The Axis of Evil comedy tour.

In the PSA, Jobrani pokes fun at Iranian male stereotypes: the uppity doctor, the swarthy and overly flirtatious 20-something, the new immigrant more comfortable speaking Farsi than English. None of the characters seem to understand why you should write in your ethnicity when you can just check the box for white.

Curious, I called up my pops — Farrokh "Fred" Meraji — to see what he did.

"For race, I had to put white because people in the Middle East are considered Caucasian," he says. "Why do we have to categorize everybody? It doesn't make sense! We're all Americans."

Yep, my dad hates checking the race box, too — but for different reasons. I'm mad that I have to choose one ethnicity over the other. He's annoyed that he has to choose, period.

I relayed my dad's reaction to Jobrani.

"I was waiting for your dad to say, 'The census makes no sense-us,' " he says.

Jobrani is passionate about this cause, and HE has lent his time and talent to get the word out about the Iranians Count 2010 Census Coalition campaign. Jobrani hopes that more Iranians counted in the census will one day translate to more recognition, more political power and more federal assistance.

But Jobrani — like me and my dad — has major issues checking that box.

"When I was applying for college, I actually looked for the box to mark Iranian," he muses, "and I went to my counselor and I said, 'There's no Iranian box.' And they go, 'Well, you're white.' I go, 'What do you mean I'm white?' I took all the insults growing up — camel jockey, towel head, all this other stuff — and all I had to say was, 'Dude, I'm white!' "

But I know, Jobrani knows, even my dad knows — it's not that easy. Checking white on the census and being treated like a white person are not the same thing. So this year, I'm going to write in Iranian-American, just so that people know we're here. We're fathers, comedians and public radio producers.

And maybe, one day, the census will have room for all of me: the Puerto Rican and the Iranian.

Made Possible by:
Farhang Foundation
PARSA Foundation
Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans
U.S. Art Studios Inc.

With the support of: Iranians Count 2010 Census Coalition

Special thanks to ANDY MADADIAN!

Director: Hirbod Toorminaei
Executive Producer: Bita Milanian
Producer: Saman Namazikhah
Sound: Ali Nosrat
AC: Mana Azmoudeh
Location: Balboa Lake Park, Van Nuys, CA - Apr 4, 2010 (13bedar)

Thank you to the CBM Team for providing us access to shoot this clip (Bahman Mojallal, Ramin Kalani and Elton Ahi)

Created by: Iranican
Co-Directors: Maral Behnam, Eiman Zolfaghari
Producer: Eiman Zolfaghari
Co-Writers: Nahal Iravani-Sani, Eiman Zolfaghari
Assistance: Parisa DeFaie, Roxana Barhaghi, Paria Sedigh

In order of first appearance:
Maral Behnam (Iranican, Community Volunteer)
Ali Abdollahi (Artist, Iranican)
Dr. Farhad Sabetan (Bahá'í Community Leader)
Amir London (Artist, TV Host)
Niosha Nafei-Jamali (Niosha Dance Academy)
Masoud Sepand (Poet, Writer, and Journalist)
Hani Orangi (Shabeh Jomeh, San Jose Chapter)
Parisa Defaie (Producer, Community Volunteer)
Dr. Elaheh Enssani (Immigrant Rights Commissioner, City and County of San Francisco)
Pedram Keyani (Facebook)
Shawyon Afshar Ritter (Violinist)
Nahal Iravani-Sani (Santa Clara County District Attorney, PAAIA)
Babak (BA)2K (Graphic Designer, Artist)
Ahmad Anvari (7rooz.com, Yahoo)
Parissa Sedigh (Student)
Behrang Barzin (Activist)
Dr. Ali Zolfaghari (AT&T)
Shawn Keyani (Student)
Mery Haghighi (Kanoon-e-Banovan)
Kian Amid-Hozour (Philanthropist, Kahrizak)
Firoozeh Dumas (Author)
Alix & Juliette (French-Iranian, Students)
Paria Sedigh (Student)
Roxana Barhaghi (Student)
Mahin Zolfaghari (Accountant)

Music by: Hamed Nikpay - "Moments," from the album "All Is Calm"
Setar, Hamed Nikpay
Flamenco Guitar, Daniel Fries
http://cdbaby.com/cd/nikpay2

Created by: Iranican
With the support of: Iranians Count 2010 Census (ICCC)
Starring: Maz Jobrani, Azine Davoudzadeh, Ken Muse
Produced and Directed by: Borhan Oskoorouchi
Director of Photography: Kayvon Emady
Written by: Maz Jobrani & Borhan Oskoorouchi
Logistics: Eiman Zolfaghari, Maral Behnam, Kayvon Emady
Boom Operators: Soroush Rahimian, Eiman Zolfaghari
Graphics: Ali John Sandossi
Set: Rastegarpour Family Residence, Santa Clara University Studio
Costume: Behrang Barzin, Milad Emadi, Hani Pourshahbazi, Mahvash Jafarinejad, Ahmad Reza Fattahi, Alicia Romanenka
Music: Kiosk, Album Global Zoo, Song Livanha, Botriha, Galonha
Sound Effects: freesound.org http://creativecommons.org/licenses/s...

Special Thanks:
Hamed Rastegarpour, Elnaz Eilkhani, Alireza Rahimi, Niku Sharei, Bita Milanian,
Parisa DeFaie, Yahia Mahamdi, Craig Gower, Sahand Rastegarpour

News Studio facility provided by Santa Clara University Department of Communication

Sponsored by: San Francisco Foundation through ICCNC

Made possible by: I.M.A.N. and U.S. Art Studios Inc.
With the support of: Iranians Count 2010 Census Coalition
Executive Producer: Saman Namazikhah
Directed & Edited by: Hirbod M Toorminaei
PA: Nima Razfar
Narrated by: Ali Nosrat
Script: Ramin Nematollhi, Ali Nosrat, Saman Namazikhah & Hirbod M. Toorminaei
Still Photographer: Mohsen Ghazizadeh
Technical Adviser: Ali Abedi
 
Special Thanks:
Officer Jim Buck, Los Angeles Police Department
Deputy Chief Michael Downing, Los Angeles Police Department
Norma Vega, Office of Census 2010 at Office of Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa
Negar Nosrat , Enive Beverly Hills
Mohsen Ghazizadeh, Tabnak Trading Inc.
Dr. Iman Roofogaran, USC County Hospital
Pouya Nehouray, Caravan Rugs Corp.
Officer Paykan Seyed-Jafari, Los Angeles Police Department
Amir Behbabani, Nikie Tolouee & Mojan Tolouee, IMAN Youth Programs
Fataneh Tabatabai, Bijan Zarrabi & Michelle Cohn, Taft High School
Masood Karimzadeh
Bita Milanian
Parisa DeFaie
Omid Arabian

Made possible by: I.M.A.N.
With the support of: Iranians Count 2010 Census Coalition
Directed, Edited & Music: Hirbod M. Toorminaei
Executive Producer: Saman Namazikhah
PA: Nima Razfar
Still Photographer: Mohsen Ghazizadeh

In order of appearance: Shiva Rose - Sheila Vossough - Maz Jobrani - Reza Aslan - Sepideh - Yara Shahidi - Houshang Touzie - Firouz Naderi - Reza Badiyi - Morteza Barjesteh
Made possible by: Farhang Foundation, PARSA Foundation, Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans
With the support of: Iranians Count 2010 Census Coalition
Director: Gobi Rahimi
Executive Producer: Bita Milanian
Producers: Parisa DeFaie, Abdur Rahman
Production Coordinator: Saman Namazikhah
Camera: Paolo Cascio
Gaffer: Rohan Chitrakar
Telepromter: Silver Feldman
Hair Stylist: Denise Small
Make Up: Jamie Brown
Playback: Mickey McMullen
Editor: Chris May
Music: "Fields of Change" by Shahin & Sepehr, courtesy of Shahin Music/Sepehr Music, BMI

In order of appearance: Morteza Barjesteh - Sheila Vossough - Houshang Touzie - Shiva Rose - Maz Jobrani - Hamed Haddadi - Reza Aslan - Sepideh - Dr. Firouz Naderi - Reza Badiyi - Yara Shahidi
Made possible by: Farhang Foundation, PARSA Foundation, Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans
With the support of: Iranians Count 2010 Census Coalition For more info, please visit: http://IraniansCount.org
Director: Gobi Rahimi
Executive Producer: Bita Milanian
Producers: Parisa DeFaie, Abdur Rahman
Production Coordinator: Saman Namazikhah
Camera: Paolo Cascio
Gaffer: Rohan Chitrakar
Telepromter: Silver Feldman
Hair Stylist: Denise Small
Make Up: Jamie Brown
Playback: Mickey McMullen
Editor: Chris May
Music: "Fields of Change" by Shahin & Sepehr, courtesy of Shahin Music/Sepehr Music, BMI