Arab American Heritage Month

By FPL_Lorrie

In 2017, the Arab American and the Arab American Foundation launched the National Arab American Heritage Month initiative; however, it wasn’t until much later that the initiative was more widely celebrated.

Officially recognized by President Biden in April 2021, Arab Heritage Month is now an annual, month-long celebration of the diversity and richness of Arab American identity, culture, food, music and dance.

Interesting Facts

Nearly 4 million Americans can trace their heritage, opens a new window to an Arab country.
Michigan, Illinois, California, and New York have the largest Arab American populations in the country.
The majority of Arab Americans are native-born, and nearly 82% of Arabs in the U.S. are citizens, according to the Arab American Institute, opens a new window.

Ways to Celebrate

Read books by Arab Americans

The Prophet, opens a new window

The Turtle of Oman, opens a new window

The Arsonists' City, opens a new window

The Other Americans, opens a new window

For more library staff picks, check out these reading lists!

Arab American Heritage Month (For Adults), opens a new window

Arab American Authors for Teens, opens a new window

Chapter Books by and about Arab Americans, opens a new window

Arab American Picture Book Creators, opens a new window

Watch a Documentary on Arab American History

Famous/Well Known Arab Americans

Hoda Kotb – An Egyptian-American broadcast journalist, television personality, and author: This Just Speaks to Me, opens a new window
Ahmed Zewail – Egyptian-American Chemist , opens a new window
Donna Shalala – Former United States Secretary of Health and Human Services , opens a new window
Elias Zerhouni – Algerian-American radiologist. His work led to advances in Computed Tomography , opens a new window(CAT scanning) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging, opens a new window (MRI) that resulted in over 200 peer reviewed publications and 8 patents. (Wikipedia)

Websites of Interest