Honoring Arab-American Heritage, Stories and Changemakers

In 2022, President Biden officially declared April a month of Arab-American heritage. While the federal designation for this month is relatively new, the presence of people with Arab heritage in the United States dates back centuries. To celebrate this new commemorative month, Facing History organized the first American Heritage Month resource page to highlight Arab history in the United States, celebrate a group of Arab-American changemakers, and share other useful resources for teachers honoring this celebration in their classrooms. We look forward to bringing you more Arab-American heritage articles throughout the year.

History reference

The mass immigration of Arabs to the United States began in the late nineteenth century, driven by promising economic opportunities, famine-induced migration, and a desire to escape political turmoil. The majority of these first immigrants came from the Greater Syria region of the Ottoman Empire, which includes present-day Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria. It is impossible to trace the actual number of Arabic-speaking immigrants who entered the United States before World War I, as customs officials classified people arriving through ports as Turks (which includes anyone coming from the vast Ottoman Empire at the time) or incorrectly as Asian, Greek, or Armenian. The first wave of Arab immigrants were predominantly Christian and often had little or no formal education. Like many newcomers to America before them, their names were often shortened and Americanized without full understanding or consent. At the turn of the century, these immigrants emphasized the importance of higher education for their American-born children, and encouraged their sons and daughters to pursue college and elite careers. The second wave of immigrants from the Middle East to the United States came after the end of World War II and the easing of restrictions under the Immigration Act of 1965. From 1948 to 1966, some 80,000 Arab immigrants made the United States their new home. Initially, many of these immigrants were ethnic Palestinians displaced by the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Later, after 1965, they were followed by Egyptians, Syrians, Iranians, and Iraqis, who often fled political revolutions or government coups. In contrast to the first wave of Arab immigrants, this new wave was predominantly Muslim and educated—making the promise of American higher education opportunities and professional freedom so tempting.

Views on the Middle East

Compared to a list of 14 major political issues, only 5 percent of Arab Americans rated resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a priority issue in determining their vote for the president — the only foreign policy issue on the list. However, 44% of respondents indicated that resolving this conflict was one of the most important foreign policy challenges facing the administration. In fact, this issue was ranked as the most important of the seven Middle East-related issues covered by the survey. In second place, with 33%, came "meeting humanitarian needs in Syria." "Addressing Lebanon's Political and Economic Crisis" came in third place with 28%. This was followed by ending the war in Yemen, improving relations with the Arab world, countering the threat posed by Iran, and stabilizing and rebuilding Iraq — which 16 percent to 11 percent of Arab Americans considered important. A strong majority of Arab Americans saw Donald Trump's handling of each of these foreign policy challenges as ineffective. By a margin of 48 percent to 32 percent, community voters said they believed Joe Biden would be the best at improving relations with the Arab world. When asked about their attitudes toward "the many countries across the Middle East playing increasingly important roles," Arab Americans were most inclined to Egypt, with 73 percent saying they had positive attitudes toward that country. Turkey came next, with 68 percent positive ratings, followed by the United Arab Emirates with 66 percent, Saudi Arabia with 56 percent, and Iran with 47 percent.

Prominent Arab Americans

Arab Americans have played a vital role in shaping modern America and have been leaders in social advocacy, scientific innovations, the arts and culture, and other defining moments in our world history. Meet some of the individuals who have helped elevate the stories and customs of Arab Americans and whose achievements have positively contributed to the fabric of our society.

1. Lawyer - Fatina Abd Rabbo

Abed Rabbo, an accomplished lawyer, serves as director of the League for the Defense of Muslims and Minorities of America (AMAL), a group that defends civil rights for all people and defends all forms of racism.

2. Poet and writer - Khalil Gibran

Gibran is the author of the prose poetry collection The Prophet, one of the best-translated and best-selling books of all time. In addition to his famous writings, which he did in both Arabic and English, he was also a successful visual artist.

3. Comedian Maysoon Zayed

Maysoon Zayed, a multi-talented artist, uses her expertise as a Palestinian-American and as a person with cerebral palsy to defend these minorities through comedy. She also delivered one of the most popular TED lectures of all time, with nearly a billion views.

4. The Surgeon - Michael Debke

While studying in medical school, Debke (originally named Dabbaghi) invented a life-saving device called a roller pump that allowed continuous blood flow to heart patients. His first innovations and discoveries in the field of vascular surgery have shaped his well-received career.