Loading ...Arab Americans: A Story of Strength and Survival
By: Lina AbiRafeh / Arab America Contributing Writer
Did you know that April is National Arab American Heritage Month? No!?
Yalla, let’s do this.
It took only (?!) four decades of campaigning to honor the contributions Arab Americans have made to the US – and activism by Warren and Dr. Amal David, the co-founders of the Arab America Foundation. The Foundation is dedicated to promoting Arab heritage, empowering Arab Americans, and connecting them to each other. And it educates Americans about Arab identity and culture – important stuff!
OK so April is our month. And yet it goes without saying that we need to sustain our interest – and our activism – for all 12 months. Yes, we can. The first National Arab American Heritage Month celebration took place in Washington, DC, in April of 2017. I wasn’t there but I’m 100% sure there was a ton of food.
Arab Americans are more than just hummus. Here are the basics: we are a Semitic people who trace our origins to 22 Arabic-speaking countries in the Southwest Asia and North Africa region. No, we’re not all Arab. No, we’re not all Muslim. We’re more diverse than you know. Too many people know too little about us. But the things they think they know come from stereotypes and misconceptions often used to villainize us. Enough of that BS. You’re smarter than that, aren’t you? Yes.You.Are.
As Arabs, our histories and our cultures span millennia and are, quite literally, the backbone on which Western civilization rests. I will not allow our existence to be reduced to cliches and stereotypes of terrorism, poverty, religious zealotry, and political instability.
So, this month is celebrated across the country with special events that honor our community’s rich heritage and massive – often unknown! – contributions to society. There are around 3.7 million Arab Americans in the US today, out there doing amazing stuff. We’re reclaiming the narrative, celebrating our history, language, culture – all of it.
As an Arab American, I gotta say… I’m exhausted. It has not been easy, safe, or fun being Arab American these days. Life wasn’t easy before, but the post-9/11 era kicked off an unprecedented climate of fear and suspicion that disproportionately targeted our communities. The seemingly-neverending genocide in Palestine and crises in other Arab countries further amplify these tensions. Especially right now — when those in power perpetrate war crimes — with our bodies reduced to shreds, our cities to rubble.
The emotional toll of witnessing the suffering of our homelands from afar is one thing. Add to this the fear of being targeted for our identities, our voices, our views. Western media coverage is biased – and dehumanizing. The rise in anti-Arab rhetoric online and anti-Arab sentiment offline has fueled this environment of insecurity. Too many people on American streets are terrified of hearing Arabic spoken out loud, of Arabic words on clothing, of the simplest forms of our existence that are now subjected to scrutiny. And worse.
All this has fueled an overwhelmingly hostile environment today where we’ve had to defend our identity – and prove our humanity again, again, again. If ever we felt at home in the US, today many of us do not. Who can blame us if we’re stressed and depressed? And mad as hell.
In early April, I received an email from the Arab America Foundation announcing the cancellation of the commemoration at Amazon HQ Theater just 48 hours before the event – part of the “broader, systematic effort to suppress Arab American voices and visibility” and is discrimination in action. Imagine what those poor execs at Amazon were thinking… a bunch of Arabs with keffiyehs and Palestinian flags all over the place. That’s right, that’s exactly what it was gonna be.
In a swift pivot, the Foundation managed to host the event at the Saints Peter and Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church in Potomac, Maryland where hundreds gathered to celebrate.The event served as a reminder that our resilience – and our pride – will not be squashed. The community is “united and undeterred” in this “powerful act of unity during one of the most challenging periods for the Arab American community in recent history.” We will not stop celebrating our heritage, elevating our voices, and resisting efforts to erase us.
My entire history in the US – 40 years and counting – has been one with many cases of overt and covert racism and discrimination because I am Arab. And I consider myself one of the “lucky” ones – others have experienced far worse.
The irony of a month to “celebrate” Arab Americans does not escape me – especially in light of what’s happening right now, right in front of us.
Discrimination and attacks against Muslims and Arabs in the United States is at an all-time high since the start of the genocide. A report released by the Council on American-Islamic Relations said that the 8,658 complaints regarding anti-Muslim and anti-Arab incidents in 2024 was the highest since the group began compiling data in 1996. This is an overwhelming deluge of anti-Muslim hate taking place in a climate of enormous stupidity – where legitimate anti-war activity is conflated with “terrorism.”
Most recently, Arab residing in the US and Arab Americans have found themselves increasingly under fire by Trump’s McCarthyism. From Mahmoud Khalil to Mohsen Mahdaw, any Arab activist who dares speak out against US or Israeli aggression in Palestine has been branded “terrorist” and detained or deported.
And it continues. Unless we put a stop to it.
“Our initiative is more vital now than ever, especially in the face of the challenges we’re living through,” said Warren David, President of Arab America and Co-founder of the Arab America Foundation. “We must rise with courage to defend our identity and assert our right to exist. If we don’t stand up—who will?”
So, what can you do?
Cultural stuff, surely, like books by Arab American authors, recipes that go beyond hummus, Arab artists and filmmakers, and more. At work you can implement corporate activities. And also, get involved with our politics, care about our causes, speak out against the genocide.
If you want to give money – every dollar counts. Basic goods are being denied every single day. Check this list of great organizations to support. Meanwhile, keep attending protests, share information on social media, sign petitions, support BDS, amplify our voices – both on the ground and in the diaspora.
Not sure what you’re waiting for… Yalla.
Lina AbiRafeh is a women’s rights expert, activist, and aid worker with close to three decades of experience creating positive change for women around the world. Contact her and sign up for her newsletter: http://www.LinaAbiRafeh.com
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