April is Arab-American Heritage Month

Contributor: I.D.E.A Culture & Climate Subcommittee

April is Arab-American Heritage Month, declared by the US State Department. This month recognizes the contributions that Arab-Americans have made to US History and their heritage. 

Did you know that ….

• There has been a bill in Congress since 2019 to declare April as Arab-American Heritage month, but people have been calling for Arab-American Heritage Month to be nationally recognized for two decades. It was formally recognized by Congress and the president since 2021.
• There are 3.5-3.7 million Arab-Americans in the United States that trace their heritage to 22 countries in the Middle East and Northern Africa.
• The Middle East is often referred to as the "crossroads of the world" because it connects Asia, Africa, and Europe.
• Many people conflate “Arab” and “Middle Eastern,” but linguistic and geographical factors mean that these terms are not fully interchangeable. The Middle East includes non-Arabic nations such as Iran, Israel, and Turkey and not all Arabic nations are located in what is considered the Middle East , like Egypt, Algeria, and Morocco.
• A 2016 study by the Pew Research Center found that Arabic is the fastest growing language in the U.S.

Highlighting people in history

• Wendie Malick is a Buffalo born actress and comedian who graduated from Williamsville High School. Her father was born in Egypt. She starred in Dream On, Just Shoot Me!, Hot in Cleveland, Frasier, Scrooged and has made over 50 guest appearances on television shows. She has also been nominated for two Emmy awards. .

• Steve Jobs was best known for being the CEO of Apple and for creating the mac computer. He co-founded Apple in 1975, but left the business to launch Pixar Animation Studios. His biological father is from Syria. 

• U.S. Air Force Colonel James Jabara was the first American and United States Air Force jet ace. He was a veteran of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. He credited his discipline to working in his father’s grocery store and the Boy Scouts of America. 

• Doug Floutie is half Lebanese and is best known in the area for being on the Buffalo Bills, where he was on the team from 1998-2000. In his 1998 year, he was selected to play in the pro-bowl. Outside of the Bills, Floutie won the Heisman Trophy in 1984 and is in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. 

Sources:

https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/05/us/arab-american-heritage-month/index.html

https://arabamericafoundation.org/national-arab-american-heritage-month/

https://www.insightintodiversity.com/national-arab-american-heritage-month/

https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/arab-american-heritage-month