In the early 1900s, thousands of people emigrated from Greater Syria and settled in the Midwest. Grand Rapids had a large Syrian population of shopkeepers and railroad workers, who founded Christian churches and Muslim societies in the city while building up key aspects of the area’s twentieth-century infrastructure.

Dr. Ashley Johnson Bavery, Assistant Professor of History at Eastern Michigan University, will trace the circuitous routes Syrian migrants took to reach Grand Rapids, where they established benevolent societies that provided medical insurance, immigration aide, and camaraderie. Join us to explore the long and enduring roots of Arab Americans in Grand Rapids and across the Midwest.

RSVP at www.gvsu.edu/kutsche/syr