Use these questions to think more about how you would describe your community...
  - Where do people in your community gather or socialize?
  - How and where does your community access services (healthcare, transportation, educational services, etc.)?

Examples of activities and services: Shopping areas, schools and universities, libraries, parks, lakes, rivers, places of worship, healthcare services, public transport, local nonprofit organizations, etc.

Your response: Douglas Pizza is a go-to place for many in the Arab American Community Rutgers New Brunswick has a growing population of Arab American Students and presence on campus specifically with a growing number of students living off-campus. New Brunswick Islamic Center is one of the most influential mosques in the central jersey area that many people in our community go to. Masjid Al-Wali is a newer mosque that is also attracting many Arab Americans

Use these questions to think more about how you would describe your community...
  - What are the cultural bonds in your community?
  - If your community has a shared history, what is it?

Examples of cultural or historical interests: Religious groups, ethnic groups, languages, age groups, immigration status, historic or arts districts, etc.

Your response: Our Arab American community here is growing. There is a large South Asian and/or Muslim community and concentration here. We have similar community interests.

Use these questions to think more about how you would describe your community...
  - Where are residents employed?
  - If there are environmental concerns in your community, what are they?

Examples of economic or environmental interests: Tourism industry, agricultural workers, mining town, manufacturing center, polluted natural resource, unemployment problem, etc.

Your response: There are many businesses specifically in the New Brunswick area and the Edison area that cater to or are run by Arab Americans.

Use these questions to think more about how you would describe your community...
  - What should politicians and/or map drawers know about your community?
  - What are the needs of your community?
  - Is there anything else you want to tell us about your community?

Examples of needs or concerns: Keep community in the same district or separate into multiple districts, shared policy concerns, need for a social service, relationship to other nearby communities, issues with current district lines

Your response: Language access needs are a big concern for my community. At least 3.5 million Americans of Arab descent live in this country, yet we are not represented in Census data as unique racial and ethnic categories as we are still categorized under the white race. Arab/MENA Americans have distinct issues, and experiences and national-level data on Arab/MENA Americans obscure regional variations, such as disadvantaged communities. This community of interest shares a uniquely immigrant experience with specific community needs that can only be addressed by someone that understands the complexity of my community.