Appreciating and Highlighting American Heritage: Arab American Heritage Month

April is nationally recognized as Arab American Heritage Month, a time to learn and reflect on Arab Americans’ contributions to the United States and society overall. As we conclude this celebration, there is an opportunity for us to build on this momentum to ensure Arab Americans, their stories, and contributions are included in history curricula and other disciplines.

How Did Arab American Heritage Month begin?

In 1992, U.S. Representatives introduced a resolution to designate October 25 as National Arab-American Day. Since the 1990s, Arab American communities throughout the U.S. allotted different times of year to celebrate Arab American heritage in order to recognize the community and its contributions to society that expand beyond a day. For instance, community members like Mabrouka “Mimi” Hassanein and Samira Hussein, led efforts to establish Arab American Heritage Month in Montgomery County, Maryland and its school district during April.

In 2017, Arab America and the Arab America Foundation kicked off National Arab American Heritage Month hosted at New America to recognize Arab American people, their stories, inclusion in American history, and their contributions to a variety of fields, such as medicine, business,government, and art. Since then, several governors, state officials, mayors, county executives, and school districts have issued proclamations, resolutions, and statements to observe this heritage month. In 2019, U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Debbie Dingell issued a congressional resolution to nationally honor Arab American Heritage Month that was cosponsored by several representatives. President Biden was the first president to recognize Arab American Heritage Month in 2021, and the U.S. State Department designated April as Arab American Heritage Month that same year.

What does the research say about the portrayal of Arab Americans?

In acknowledging the vast contributions and stories of Arab Americans, it is valuable to understand how they are presented in educational materials. Within a study of children’s books, a 2020 analysis found 2.2 percent of the books had Middle Eastern (which include Arab and non-Arab countries) as its primary race/ethnicity. An early study of children’s books by and about BIPOCs published in the United States, found of the 3,717 books 32 (0.86 percent) were about people of Arab heritage.

When examining how people of Arab descent are portrayed within educational materials, limited and stereotypical traits are common. These characters may be contextualized within ancient times, associated with camels, desert, caravans, and nomadism, and portrayed as illiterate, and aggressive. Men may be presented as oppressive to women, whereas women may be portrayed as passive.

Within text about America, Arab American are often not included until after WWII and presented in the context of violent events, conflicts, and terrorism. They are commonly portrayed as newly immigrating to the U.S., negating those families who have been members of American society for generations. While these portrayals illustrate the challenges of adjusting to Western society, it also positions their culture as different from American culture and confines Arab Americans to one type of experience. This one-dimensionality is also illustrated in portrayals of their religion, culture, ethnic group, and country, and inaccurate, incomplete, and dated information about religions, social life, and politics associated with the Arab community is presented.

While acknowledging the limited and stereotypical portrayal of people of Arab heritage is valuable, scholars have also noted those that are positive. These include references to religious celebrations and practices, the value of family, the connection between past and present, and their achievements that contribute to American life. Whether presented in contemporary or ancient times, characters encounter common experiences for children of their age group and accurately capture the nuances of their particular culture.

How can we acknowledge Arab Americans throughout the year?

It is clear there is a limited presentation of Arab Americans in educational materials. Even when they are presented, they may be portrayed in narrow and limited roles.While Arab American Heritage Month is a time to focus on the variety of Arab American stories and their contributions to society, there is a need to intentionally include their stories and contributions throughout the entire year. Here are some actions you can take:

• While Middle Eastern and Arab Americans may be conflated or used interchangeably, there are distinctions. The Middle East includes non-Arab countries, and Arabic nations are located from north Africa through western Asia. Arab Americans practice a variety of religions that include Christianity and Islam. Integrate materials into educational settings. that show different perspectives and insights into Arab American culture, community, and experiences.
• When identifying materials that feature Arab Americans, curate resources that can help with selection. You can start with Tami Craft Al-Hazza and Katherine T. Bucher’s guiding questions for evaluating literature about Arab Americans and their culture, which is based on research from several scholars.
• People of Arab heritage have been interwoven in American society for generations, such as the presence of Arab people before the establishment of America and the arrival of Arab Christians from the Ottoman Empire to the U.S. in the 1800s, as well as newly arrived immigrants. Learn about the various ways Arab Americans have been a part of American history and their societal contributions of Arab Americans by checking out sources curated by the Arab American Foundation, Arab American National Museum, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
• Recognize the diversity of cultures within the Arab American community. While Arab Americans may share commonalities in their language and culture, there are still variations within ethnicities, politics, and regions, and among individuals. Become more familiar with these range of experiences by learning more about Omar Ibn Said, Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, Etel Adnan and Maysoon Zayid, or listening to podcast like Seen Jeem or The Queer Arabs.

Refer to The Representation of Social Groups in U.S. Education Materials and Why it Matters, published recently as a brief and research overview for citations.

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