Celebrating National Arab American Heritage Month
What is Arab American Heritage Month?
Throughout the year, different months are often dedicated to celebrating the history of underrepresented groups in American society. For the month of April, the culture and contributions of Arab Americans are celebrated; however, this celebration has only recently been gaining recognition.
In 2019, Representative Donna Shalala, an Ohio native, introduced a resolution to the House of Representatives advocating for April to be recognized as National Arab American Heritage Month. A similar bill was proposed by Representative Rashida Tlaib in 2020. However, as of this writing, neither bill has been passed. While the U.S. Federal government does not recognize April as National Arab American Heritage Month, the U.S. State Department and the states of Arkansas, Hawaii, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, and Virginia have acknowledged April as a month dedicated towards the celebration of Arab Americans.
What does it mean to be Arab American?
The Arab world is not exclusive to Middle Eastern countries and an Arab is not always Muslim. An Arab is an individual whose native tongue is Arabic. The Arab World consists of 22 countries from both the Middle East and Africa: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. These countries are also members of the Arab League. According to the Arab Institute Foundation, about 3.6 million Americans identity as Arab Americans with most originating from Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt.
Although Arab-Americans only make up about 1 percent of the U.S. population, they have made numerous contributions to U.S. politics, economy, and culture. For example, Steve Jobs, the former co-founder and CEO of Apple was Arab American since his biological father was Syrian. Another prominent Arab American is Paula Abdul, a famous actress, TV personality, dancer, choreographer, and Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter who also had a Syrian father. Donna Shalala, who is of Lebanese Maronite descent from her mother’s side, served as the former United States Secretary of Health and Human Services from 1993-2001. Shalala became the longest-serving Secretary of Health and Human Services in U.S. history and has been a member of the U.S. Congress since 2019. These three figures are only some of many Arab Americans who have made important contributions to society.
Arab American Heritage at US Together
Hana Abdelbaki, Victims’ Services Coordinator at US Together - Columbus
US Together also has employees of Arab descent who have contributed significantly to the work that is done to help the immigrant and refugee populations in Ohio. Hana Abdelbaki works in the Columbus area and is the Victims’ Services Coordinator at US Together. She and her family immigrated to the United States in 1996 because the Lebanese Civil War had caused the economy and safety of Lebanon to deteriorate. Upon immigrating to the US, Hana had to become accustomed to using English and understanding the ins and outs of American culture. One of the hardest challenges Hana had was adjusting to American culture but still preserving her Lebanese heritage and customs, however becoming involved in the Islamic Cultural Center in Dublin, Ohio, helped her through that hurdle.
Within her family, Hana makes sure that her children understand the importance of their heritage by making sure they know their native language Arabic and taking annual trips back to Lebanon. Unfortunately, Hana, like many Arab Americans, has been treated poorly because of the negative stereotypes that are often attributed to Arabs. However, she continues to be open about teaching people about her heritage and culture in order to dispel those fears and negative perceptions. While coming to the US does have its drawbacks, the US has allowed Hana to obtain numerous opportunities that she would not have been able to have back in Lebanon.
Bashar Al-Hariri, Education Services Manager at US Together - Toledo
Bashar Al-Hariri work in the Toledo area as the Education Services Manager. Bashar is of Syrian origin and recently immigrated to the U.S. with his Jordanian wife and their cat. Similar to Hana, Bashar also struggled with the language barrier but also had difficulty finding the right information to guide him while he was here since the American and Middle Eastern education and professional sectors are so different. Another thing Bashar has struggled with is finding a community especially since living in the US is not as community-oriented as in the Middle East. This issue has also been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic; however, Bashar has been able to create a community through US Together and the work he does in the organization. As the Education Services Manager in US Together-Toledo, Bashar works as a youth mentor and with clients dealing with unemployment, helping them find jobs and build/write resumes. By working for US Together Bashar has become the individual that he needed when he first came to the US by bridging the information gap he experienced when immigrating here.
Thank you to US Together International Program Intern Ruth Elendu for researching and writing this article. Ruth is studying International Relations and Diplomacy and Middle Eastern Studies at the Ohio State University. She has been given the opportunity to learn Arabic intensively through the Critical Language Scholarship funded by the U.S. Department of State allowing her to further her professional knowledge and language skills.