DEARBORN — “We’re not White.” 

That’s the name and thesis of Palestinian American comedian Amer Zahr’s new movie, which premiered at the Arab American National Museum on Friday, June 27. However, the federal government disagrees with both the premise and the title of the film. 

“We’re not White” examines the absence of an Arab option on the U.S. Census. Every 10 years, the U.S. government polls the nation to gather data about the size and demographics of the population. There are 11 choices for ethnicity on the census, and “Arab” is not one of them.

Between segments of his stand up comedy and a series of interviews, Zahr, who is also an author, activist and now moviemaker, supports the rationale of the film with a mixture of witty and intellectual arguments. He comically enumerates the differences between Arabs and White people and tells anecdotes of Arab Americans’ struggles in the post-9/11 era. He interviews average citizens, academics and activists to address the absence of an Arab box on the census. 

Most of those interviewed agree that Arabs should be recognized as a minority by the federal government, which already singles them out and profiles them.

“Not being counted makes you invisible,” Wayne State University Law professor Peter Hammer says in the movie. “It disempowers you and removes your ability to be a part of the national dialogue.”

The movie explains that Arab immigrants at the turn of the past century petitioned to be listed as White because of all the legal privileges that Caucasians enjoyed. According to Randa Kayyali, the author of “The Arab Americans,” the office of Management and Budget determined in 1977 that “White” referred to a person of European, Middle Eastern or North African descent, effectively classifying all Arabs as “White.”

In one scene, Zahr asks people in the street to name a famous Arab. After awkward, comic silence, some of them respond with the names of infamous Arab terrorists or dictators. “Osama” and other villainous figures are the first names that come to the mind of most of the interviewees.

Ironically, no one mentioned the Detroit-born, internationally-famous entertainer Casey Kasem, who died last month.

In the film, Zahr also asks random people on the street if they think their Arab friends are White. The answers are mostly negatives. 

A similar question is posed to Arabs interviewed while leaving Zahr’s standup comedy show.  Most Arabs said they do not consider themselves White. One woman said she feels White among Black people and Black among White people.

“The ultimate goal of the movie is, of course, to secure a box for Arab Americans on the census form,” Zahr told The Arab American News.  He said the movie also aims to educate non-Arabs about the absence of an “Arab” option on the census and to educate Arabs about the significance of the issue.

“Many Arab Americans, while they are aware of the fact the we don’t have a box, sometimes think the issue is harmless,” he said. “This movie explores how the issue has real effects on political participation and identity.” 

The movie will be playing at selected showings and on college campuses and film festivals across the country. 

“We cannot simply release it or sell it while we are searching for a possible distributor,” said Zahr. “We hope to find a distributor or sell the rights to a network like PBS, HBO or Netflix.