Arab American Heritage Month at UCSF

Q: How many countries constitute the Arab world?

A: Arabic-speaking populations with diverse religious and racial identities exist all over the globe. The Arab League, a multinational organization, is composed of 22 countries in Northern Africa and Western Asia, which comprise a large part, but not all, of Arabic speaking groups and territories across the world.

Q: Where do the majority of Arab Americans live in the United States?

A: While Arab Americans live in every state in the United States, the vast majority (95%) are concentrated in metropolitan areas primarily located in California, Michigan, and New York.

Q: Arab? Muslim? What’s the difference?

A: Arabs speak Arabic as their native language and identify themselves as Arab. Muslims follow the religion of Islam. While over 1.8 billion people worldwide are Muslim, only 15% of them are Arab. Moreover, while 63-77% of Arab Americans are Christian, approximately 25% are Muslim.

Q: When was National Arab American Heritage Month (NAAHM) officially recognized in the United States?

A: In April 2021, President Joe Biden, along with the U.S. Department of State, members of Congress, and 37 governors, issued a proclamation supporting NAAHM.

For more, follow us on Instagram, where we will share unique Arab American contributions to the health sciences twice a week during the month of April.

We invite you to participate in various cultural and educational events in April.

UCSF-Sponsored Events

Special Lunch Menu 
• Thursday, April 25, 2024 | 11:30am - 1:00pm
• BCH Oakland, Friendly Cafe
Join us for a special menu celebrating Arab American Heritage Month at the BCH Oakland Friendly Cafe. 

Islamic Geometric Patterns: An Art Workshop
• CANCELED
Islam and the Arab world have a time honored and enduring legacy of geometric art and pattern making. We see this on buildings, books, and mosques around the world! Dive into the world of Islamic art and pattern making, and create a beautiful piece of art with just a ruler and compass. Supplies will be provided. Participation is capped at 20 participants. Light refreshments will be served.

Arab Talk with Dr. Jess Ghannam
• Friday, April 19 | 11:30am - 1:00pm 
• Hybrid  (Mission Bay Oberndorf Auditorium and Zoom)
​​​​Join us in celebration of Arab American Heritage Month with Dr. Jess Ghannam, a human rights activist and professor at UCSF. Dr. Ghannam lectures, writes, and conducts research on the health effects of war and occupation in Palestine and in the Arab World, where he travels frequently. Food and refreshments will be served.

Register

Non-UCSF Community Events

Reflections of Arab Americans
• Wednesday, April 3, 2024 | 12:00pm - 1:00pm
• Zoom via Michigan’s Oakland Community College
Panelists will share their perspectives on how their identity as Arab Americans has shaped who they are, the impact of stereotypes and the importance of representation.

San Bruno 1st Annual Arab Heritage Festival
• Sunday, April 14, 2024 | 12:00pm - 7:00pm
• Belle Air Elementary School, 450 3rd Ave, San Bruno, CA
Arabic food, games, bazaar, henna, face painting, live music, ethnic dance, and more. A free event.

Thank you to the UCSF Library for making these titles available to the UCSF community.

• How Does it Feel to be a Problem? Being Young and Arab in America by Moustafa Bayoumi
  Join Moustafa Bayoumi as he delves into the lives of young Arab Americans navigating post-9/11 America. Through intimate stories and insightful analysis, Bayoumi sheds light on the challenges of identity, discrimination, and the quest for belonging, offering a compelling exploration of the Arab American experience.
• I Was Their American Dream by Malaka Gharib
  Embark on a heartfelt journey of cultural identity with Malaka Gharib's graphic memoir. With humor and poignant reflection, Gharib shares her experiences as a first-generation Filipino-Egyptian-American, offering a unique perspective on family, heritage, and the pursuit of the American Dream.
• Conditional Citizens: On Belonging in America by Laila Lalami
  Dive into the complex landscape of American citizenship with Laila Lalami's exploration of belonging and identity. Through vivid storytelling, Lalami illuminates the experiences of immigrants and marginalized communities, unraveling the notion of "conditional citizenship" and its impact on the American Dream.
• A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum
  Enter the world of three generations of Palestinian women in America through Etaf Rum's powerful narrative. This gripping novel explores themes of tradition, patriarchy, and resilience, providing a profound reflection on the complexities of family, cultural expectations, and the pursuit of freedom and empowerment.
• Love, InshAllah by Nura Maznavi
  Step into the clandestine world of romance and relationships among Arab American Muslim women in "Love, InshAllah." Through a collection of intimate stories, this anthology challenges stereotypes and explores the intricate dynamics of love, marriage, and desire within the American Muslim community.

The following resources were compiled by Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium, Inc. (MAEC), an education non-profit dedicated to increasing access to a high quality education for culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse learners.

Webinars & Videos

• Arab | How You See Me
  Participant
• Don’t Erase Me: The Modern Arab American
  TEDxOhioStateUniversity
• We’re Not White | Amer Zahr
  TEDxDetroit
• Why We Need Arab American Heritage Month
  NowThis
• Coming to America Online Exhibit
  Arab American National Museum

Podcasts

• Arab American Café
  Arab Americans about America and Arabs everywhere, bringing you a unique perspective, both in English & Arabic but mostly in “Arablish.”
• Citizens of Two Worlds
  Citizens of Two Worlds is a limited series produced by Randa Samih Abdu that examines identity issues among first-generation Arab Americans in Tucson.
• The Queer Arabs
  The Queer Arabs podcast is a growing collection of dialogues surrounding the intersection of Middle Eastern/Southwest Asian + North African and LGBTQ identities.
• This Muslim Girl Podcast
  An Arab American Muslim woman born in Yemen and raised in the Central Valley of California shares stories to empower women.
• True Talk
  Focuses on the Middle East and the Muslim world. The show also discusses issues that Muslims face worldwide, as well as for American Muslims who are seeking to live as peace-loving Americans in a nation that often has only seen stereotypical portrayals of Islam.

Films and Documentaries

• Celebrate Arab American Heritage Month (PBS): A list of films and documentaries created by Arab American filmmakers about Arab American communities.

Additional Reading and Resources

Articles

• The Story of Arab Americans’ Beginning in America – And the Quest for Fair Representation by DipNote, U.S. Department of State
• Nine Surprising Facts about the Arabic Language by Arab America Foundation
• Arab Americans in California by Arab America Foundation
• 5 Facts about Arabic Speakers in the U.S. by Pew Research Center
• Arab American Heritage Month by Smithsonian
• Nine Facts About NAAHM by Mental Floss

Arab Cultural & Community Center (ACCC)

• The ACCC is a non-profit, non-sectarian, charitable and educational corporation that provides community services.Its mission is to preserve, promote and strengthen Arab culture and the community through art, education and culturally relevant events and services in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is located on 2 Plaza Street in San Francisco.

Arab American National Museum (AANM)

• The AANM is the first and only museum in the United States devoted to documenting and sharing Arab American contributions that shaped the economic, political and cultural landscapes of American life. The Museum also brings to light the shared experiences of immigrants and ethnic groups, paying tribute to the diversity of our nation. AANM tells the Arab American story through the voices and experiences of Arab Americans.

Celebrate AAHM and show your support by displaying a custom background during your remote meetings. Download one or more of these virtual backgrounds to add a little AAHM culture to your Zoom experience.

AAHM 2024 events and activities are organized, hosted, and sponsored by:

• UCSF Office of Diversity and Outreach
• UCSF Library