🗓 Arab American Heritage Month

Beginning in the early 1990s, Arab American Heritage Month has been celebrated across the country, but it was not until recently that this holiday has received the national recognition it deserves. With a minority population of over 4 million people in the United States from various Middle Eastern countries, including Lebanon, Egypt, Syria and Iraq, America is slowly coming to give appreciation to the Arab Americans who contribute to the fabric of our country. For example, in 2005 Dearborn, Michigan opened the Arab American National Museum, a celebration of Middle Eastern American history, art, food, and culture--a central place to explore what it means to be Arab American.

At Jessup Library, we are celebrating Arab American authors, including Rabih Alameddine's The Hakawati, and The Unnecessary Woman, Laila Lalami's The Moor's Account, and Khalil Gibran's The Prophet. We also want to draw in the history of Arab America, such as in The Arab Americans: A History by Gregory Orfalea, and explore the classic stories as told in Tales of the Marvelous and News of the Strange, taken from an ancient manuscript found in a library in Istanbul.

Every culture that is part of the melting pot that is America deserves to be recognized for their contribution to the culture we have are, and April is that month for Arab American Heritage!