National Arab American Heritage Month Explained

Holiday Name:Arab American Heritage Month
Official Name:The National Arab American Heritage Month (NAAHM)
Observedby:United States, Presidency of Joe Biden, US Department of Homeland Security, US Department of State[1]
Longtype:Heritage, cultural, ethnic
Significance:Celebration of Arab-Americans contributions
Date:April
Frequency:Annual
Duration:1 month
Relatedto:List of month-long observances

National Arab American Heritage Month (NAAHM) takes place in April. It celebrates the Arab American heritage and culture and pays tribute to the contributions of Arab Americans and Arabic-speaking Americans.[2] [3]

History

Beginning in the 1990s, Arab American heritage was celebrated sporadically in various states at different times of the year, primarily in school districts. It wasn't until 2017 when Arab America began a national initiative to coordinate all states under National Arab American Heritage Month. On April 30, 2019, Arab American organizations asked Congresswoman Debbie Dingell to issue a congressional resolution proclaiming National Arab American Heritage Month.[4] It was then introduced to the house on April 30, 2019, and then referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.[5] The largest and most promising achievement towards federal recognition of the month of April as the National Arab American Heritage Month was the proclamation published by the U.S. Department of State, which was accomplished on April 1, 2021, by the efforts of independent Syrian-American advocate and author, Pierre Subeh.[6] [7]

An identical bill was introduced in the House on May 1, 2020, to support the designation of an Arab American Heritage Month but it has not currently been passed.[8]

Some individual states (such as the Commonwealth of Virginia) and 26 others observed April as Arab American Heritage Month early on before any federal recognition was proclaimed.[9] It wasn't until April 19, 2021, that the first recognition on a federal level was issued, which was published as a White House letter from president Joe Biden recognizing April as the National Arab American Heritage Month, otherwise called NAAHM.[10]

Developments

The United States Department of State has recognized April as the National Arab American Heritage Month. Stating in a public announcement on April 1, 2021, through their official social media channels: "Americans of Arab heritage are very much a part of the fabric of this nation, and Arab Americans have contributed in every field and profession."[11] [12]

The recognition of the month of April as the National Arab American Heritage Month by the Department of State was mainly influenced by independent advocate efforts across the United States calling for inclusivity. Most notably the petition and social change campaign by Pierre Subeh who orchestrated a self-funded social awareness campaign with over 250 billboards across the country asking the Federal government to recognize the month of April as the National Arab American Heritage Month and issue an official proclamation. His social change campaign called the recognition as it celebrates Middle Eastern heritage in combatting post-9/11 anti-Arab sentiments and recognizing the social difficulties that Arab Americans face every day in their communities.[13] [14]

On April 19, 2021, Arab America and the Arab America Foundation received a letter acknowledging an invitation they sent president Joe Biden, in which he congratulated them on the celebration of National Arab American Heritage Month.[15]

In 2022, President Biden declared April as Arab American Heritage Month and issued an official proclamation in 2023.[16]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Biden. Mr. President Joe. April 19, 2021. White-House Letter From President Biden to Arab America. live. White-House official letter. https://web.archive.org/web/20210426035447/https://www.arabamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/White-House.Message-from-President-Biden-to-Arab-America_Mailed-via-USPS-4.21.21.pdf. April 26, 2021.
  2. Web site: Arab American Heritage Month . 2024-04-02 . . en.
  3. News: Celebrating Arab American Heritage Month. ThoughtCo. December 23, 2017.
  4. Web site: Dingell. Debbie. April 30, 2019. Dingell, Tlaib, Stevens, Levin Recognize Arab American Heritage Month in Congress. live. Debbie Dingell, Michigan's 12th District. https://web.archive.org/web/20190804211819/https://debbiedingell.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1703. August 4, 2019.
  5. Web site: Actions – H.Res.335 – 116th Congress (2019–2020): Expressing support for the recognition of April as Arab American Heritage Month and celebrating the heritage and culture of Arab Americans in the United States. April 30, 2019.
  6. Web site: Arab-American Heritage Month on the calendar of the U.S. Department of State' "Managing American Spaces". live. Office of American Spaces. https://web.archive.org/web/20201229015421/https://americanspaces.state.gov/events/event/arab-american-heritage-month/ . December 29, 2020 .
  7. Web site: David. Kevin. April 3, 2021. This Immigrant Entrepreneur Made History by Pushing The U.S. Department of State to Recognize April as the NAAHM. live. Medium. https://web.archive.org/web/20210419234057/https://therealkevindavid.medium.com/this-immigrant-entrepreneur-made-history-by-pushing-the-u-s-department-of-state-to-recognize-naahm-8224f23be535. April 19, 2021.
  8. Web site: H.Res.948 – Expressing support for the recognition of April as Arab American Heritage Month and celebrating the heritage and culture of Arab Americans in the United States.. page The U.S. Congress 116th Congress (2019–2020) . May 2020.
  9. Web site: Hanania. Ray. April 2, 2021. US State Department salutes Arab American Heritage Month in video statement. Arab News.
  10. Web site: Biden. Mr. President Joe. April 19, 2021. White-House Letter From President Biden to Arab America. live. White House official letter. https://web.archive.org/web/20210426035447/https://www.arabamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/White-House.Message-from-President-Biden-to-Arab-America_Mailed-via-USPS-4.21.21.pdf. April 26, 2021.
  11. Web site: April 1, 2021. Department Spokesperson Ned Price delivers remarks at the Daily Press Briefing on April 1, 2021.. live. United States Department of State. Twitter. https://web.archive.org/web/20210401191522/https://twitter.com/StateDept/status/1377701045288235012 . April 1, 2021 .
  12. Web site: Alsharif. Mirna. April 30, 2019. April is Arab American Heritage Month, the State Department declares. live. Mirna Alsharif, CNN on April 5, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210405190752/https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/05/us/arab-american-heritage-month/index.html . April 5, 2021 .
  13. Web site: April 3, 2021. Pierre Subeh thanking the Department Spokesperson Ned Price after delivering remarks at the Daily Press Briefing on April 1, 2021.. live. United States Department of State. Twitter. https://web.archive.org/web/20210401191522/https://twitter.com/StateDept/status/1377701045288235012 . April 1, 2021 .
  14. Web site: April 27, 2021. Officially on the US federal calendar: April "National Month for Arab American Heritage.". Marah Bukai. Al Arab Newspaper London. Wayback Machine.
  15. Web site: Biden. Mr. President Joe. April 19, 2021. White-House Letter From President Biden to Arab America. live. White House official letter. https://web.archive.org/web/20210426035447/https://www.arabamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/White-House.Message-from-President-Biden-to-Arab-America_Mailed-via-USPS-4.21.21.pdf. April 26, 2021.
  16. Web site: 2023-03-31 . A Proclamation on Arab American Heritage Month, 2023 . 2024-04-02 . . en-US.

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