Arab American Heritage Month: Crash course edition
April is National Arab American Heritage month. This month, we celebrate Arab American heritage and culture while also paying respect to Arab Americans.
Arab Americans originate in populations that live mainly in western Asia and northern Africa. This area includes countries: Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Morocco, Palestine, Egypt and others.
According to the Arab American Institute (AAI), “Arab Americans are as diverse as their countries of origin, with unique immigration experiences that have shaped their ethnic identity in the U.S.” While the majority of Arab Americans descend from the first wave of mostly Christian immigrants, Arab American Muslims represent the fastest growing segment of the Arab American community.”
The celebration of Arab American heritage has existed in several states since the early ’90s, but it became a national celebration in 2017 with the proclamation by Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, D-MI.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that at least 1.9 million Americans are of Arab descent, and today nearly 3.7 million Americans trace their roots to an Arab country.
Arab America is a national media organization founded with the purpose of promoting a better image of the Arab American community, especially at times where incidents of hate crimes and misunderstandings on the Arab American community is high.
As of 2020, this will be the third national month-long celebration of Arab-American heritage.
