Museum offers glimpse of Arab-American influence
By WAYNE ANDERSON and CARLA ANDERSON
Columbia Tribune
One thing the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, Mich., made abundantly clear was that many Arabs who live in the country have made countless contributions to our nation’s development.
The three-floor museum, which is affiliated with the Smithsonian Institute, was opened in 2005 as the first museum in the world focused on Arab history in the United States. We previously had not considered how many Arabs have made their home here and were surprised to see the wide range of fields they have entered.
These immigrants have come from 22 different countries and represent a range of religions. The largest number came between 1880 and 1920, at the same time other immigrants were pouring in from Italy, Sweden, Norway and Russia. The different national groups came for the same reasons: hunger, political and religious repression, forced military service, and hope for a better future.
The curator was unable to tell us how many Arab-Americans now reside in the United States because most were labeled as white on the U.S. Census. She estimated there are more than 4 million Arab-Americans in the country.
It came as news to us that when our Scandinavian relatives were taking homesteads in North Dakota, groups of Arabs from Syria were doing the same thing. A small mosque near Ross, N.D., is a reminder of their presence, but most moved to other states or married Christians as time passed. Every state in the union currently has some citizens of Arab descent.
In a hall commemorating their contributions, we recognized Helen Thomas, who worked for 25 years as a White House reporter and covered the administrations of 11 presidents. She was known for ending presidential press sessions with “Thank you, Mr. President.” Her parents had emigrated from the Ottoman Empire of what is now Lebanon. She was listed as one of the 25 most influential women in America.
Among those also highlighted were Ralph Nader, the consumer advocate who also ran for president; race car driver Bobby Rahal; U.S. Sen. George Mitchell; and John Sununu, former governor of New Hampshire and White House chief of staff. It was clear that Arab-Americans have filled positions in practically all fields: science, medicine, sports, politics and more.
One section focuses on the life of Zammouri, an Arab from Morocco who was taken as a slave to North America in 1528; Zammouri was part of the Spanish exploration of the American Southwest. He ended up living with American Indians, and he learned six local dialects and became known as a translator. El Paso, Texas, has a statue honoring him.
The third floor has many approaches to telling their stories: scenes with mannequins, movies with interviews, rooms showing living conditions and posters explaining the struggles of Arab-Americans.
The second floor explores the history of the areas in which Arabs have made major contributions to world history, including in mathematics, astronomy, architecture and art. One display contains various musical instruments that visitors can listen to recordings of by pushing buttons.
On the lowest floor, the works of 39 contemporary artists note the similarities between Palestinians, Irish and American Indians in terms of invasion, occupation and colonization. The artists explore these themes in terms of their own lives and experiences.
Overall, the Arab immigrants do not stand out as having any major differences or outcomes then those of us whose grandparents and great-grandparents came from any other country in search of a better life.
Source: www.columbiatribune.com