By Mireille Rebeiz
In April 2021, the State Department recognized April as the Arab American Heritage Month. In the words of the State Department spokesman Ned Price, Arab Americans “are as old as America itself.” Although many states like Michigan, New York, North Carolina, and Virginia have recognized April as the Arab American Heritage Month, Pennsylvania has not.
The time has come for Pennsylvania to recognize April as the Arab American Heritage Month, and I call on Gov. Wolf and PA legislatures to do so.
Arab Americans have their origins in 22 Arab countries. Their migration stories started in the late 1800s, and the majority of Arab Americans have ties to Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and Iraq. According to the Arab American Institute (AAI), “the majority of Arab Americans are native-born, and nearly 82% of Arabs in the U.S. are citizens.” Furthermore, the AAI estimates the number of Arab Americans at 3.7 million living in all states but mostly in California, Michigan, New York, Florida, Texas, New Jersey, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
Arab Americans have contributed meaningfully to all levels of life in the United States of America. They were there in the American Revolution. They served in World War I and World War II with an estimated number of 14,000 then 30,000. They participated in the nation’s literary life. In 1915, Gibran Khalil Gibran founded the Pen Bond literary association in New York.
He published The Prophet which remains one of the most influential books written in English. In 1949, the Arab American actor, singer and comedian Danny Thomas founded St Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Many names that the American people have known and loved are of Arab origins whether it is in politics such as journalist Helen Thomas or former presidential candidate Ralph Nader or Special Advisor on International Disability Rights Sara Minkara or in the medical field such as Dr. Michael Debakey or in entertainment such as Jamie Farr and Tony Shalboub.
Despite our many contributions and long history in the United States, the racism continues. Way before the “Muslim Ban” which restricted the travel from seven Muslim-majority countries to the United States under President Trump, there was the United States Immigration Act of 1924 which established quotas to reduce immigration from Asia, from countries like Syria and Lebanon deemed racially inferior to the United States of America. In addition to the racism, Arab Americans face invisibility.
The Census Bureau does not include a Middle Eastern or Arab American check box. This means that Arab Americans are simply not counted as such, and these numbers would be important to allocate federal funds to infrastructure, education, health care, financial aid for students, translation services, bilingual programs, and other services. Simply put, legally, Arab Americans are invisible.
According to the AAI, there is an estimated number of 182,610 Arab Americans living in Pennsylvania. The number grew around 42% between 2000 and 2015 and “is among the fastest growing Arab populations in the country.” And yet, Pennsylvania’s legislatures continue to ignore us.
Time has come to call for a change. As such, I ask Gov. Wolf and PA legislatures to acknowledge our existence, to recognize our contributions to this great nation, to celebrate our heritage, and to designate April as the Arab American Heritage Month.
Mireille Rebeiz (PhD) is assistant professor of Francophone & Middle Eastern Studies & Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies at Dickinson College.