by Rev. Dr. Anna Piela
The National Arab American Heritage Month initiative was launched in 2017 by the Arab America Foundation. After five years of intense grassroots work, in 2022 the president of the United States Furthermore, Congress, the U.S. Department of State, and 45 state governors issued proclamations commemorating the initiative.
This provides an opportunity to highlight the history of Arab migration to America, the geography of the Arab world, Arab American diversity in faith, language, customs, and traditions. Some notable Arab Americans, to mention just a few, include Edward Said, a Jerusalem-born Palestinian, a literary theorist and former professor at Columbia University; Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple; Gigi and Bella Hadid, models, Mona Haydar, a poet, activist, and rapper; and Rep. Rashida Tlaib. Most Americans are also unaware that historically, Arabs made breakthrough contributions in mathematics, geography, science, and literature. While the West is often described as a “Judeo-Christian” civilization, without Arab discoveries and contributions it would not exist in its current shape.
One of the important issues that community activists have been campaigning for was recognition of Arab Americans in the census. The absence of an appropriate category caused the communities to be invisible, advocates said. Official population counts in the U.S. have far-reaching significance, because they help politicians determine how congressional districts are created, how government funds are distributed to address the needs of certain regions, and how federal anti-discrimination and racial equity laws are implemented.
Anti-Arab racism has been a serious problem in the United States, and the absence of official census recognition has hindered authorities from appropriately classifying hate crimes against this group. Prejudice has led to verbal and physical attacks in public spaces, online harassment, employment discrimination, and negative media portrayals of the community. Spikes in anti-Arab hate crime coincided with the first Gulf War, 9/11, and the “Global War on Terrorism.”
To read the entire article, click here
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
by Rev. Dr. Anna Piela
The National Arab American Heritage Month initiative was launched in 2017 by the Arab America Foundation. After five years of intense grassroots work, in 2022 the president of the United States Furthermore, Congress, the U.S. Department of State, and 45 state governors issued proclamations commemorating the initiative.
This provides an opportunity to highlight the history of Arab migration to America, the geography of the Arab world, Arab American diversity in faith, language, customs, and traditions. Some notable Arab Americans, to mention just a few, include Edward Said, a Jerusalem-born Palestinian, a literary theorist and former professor at Columbia University; Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple; Gigi and Bella Hadid, models, Mona Haydar, a poet, activist, and rapper; and Rep. Rashida Tlaib. Most Americans are also unaware that historically, Arabs made breakthrough contributions in mathematics, geography, science, and literature. While the West is often described as a “Judeo-Christian” civilization, without Arab discoveries and contributions it would not exist in its current shape.
One of the important issues that community activists have been campaigning for was recognition of Arab Americans in the census. The absence of an appropriate category caused the communities to be invisible, advocates said. Official population counts in the U.S. have far-reaching significance, because they help politicians determine how congressional districts are created, how government funds are distributed to address the needs of certain regions, and how federal anti-discrimination and racial equity laws are implemented.
Anti-Arab racism has been a serious problem in the United States, and the absence of official census recognition has hindered authorities from appropriately classifying hate crimes against this group. Prejudice has led to verbal and physical attacks in public spaces, online harassment, employment discrimination, and negative media portrayals of the community. Spikes in anti-Arab hate crime coincided with the first Gulf War, 9/11, and the “Global War on Terrorism.”
To read the entire article, click here
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash