“The Arab American community is essential to the fabric of our nation, and I am honored to be part of this celebration of Arab American culture, heritage, and contributions to American society. The Arab American community exemplifies so much of what our country stands for: hard work, resilience, compassion, and generosity." - President Joe Biden, in a letter to the organizations Arab America & the Arab American Foundation.
Arab American Heritage Month is observed in April & celebrates the culture, history, & contributions of Arab Americans to the United States. It was initiated in 2017 by the Arab American Foundation & Arab America, gaining momentum & leading to Congressional resolutions in 2019. In 2021, President Biden officially recognized the month & acknowledged vital contributions of Arab Americans. As of March 2025, several states, including Illinois, have permanently designated April as Arab American Heritage Month. The Quincy Public Library did have a history walk a couple of years ago relating to Arab American Heritage Month.
Arab American immigration to the U.S. occurred in several time periods & they landed mostly in the Midwest & Northeast.
Regardless of what restrictions the United States has put on Arabic immigration in the past, the Arab-American community has added to American culture over the years.
F. Murray Abraham is half Syrian & has been on tv shows like The White Lotus, in movies, & has gone as far as winning an Academy Award for Best Actor for Amadeus.
Rami Malek is of Egyptian descent & has also been on tv & in movies. We got to see him Night at the Museum, in James Bond, & as Freddy Mercury.
Hoda Kotb is also Egyptian & has been on the Today Show, Dateline, & has covered the Olympics. (She also has books out there.)
Khalil Gibran was Lebanese & authored articles, poems, & a couple of books.
Naomi Shahib Nye is half Lebanese & has authored a variety of children's books.
Darrell Issa is also half Lebanese & serves as a Congressperson from California.
Rashida Tlaib is Palestinian & serves as a Congressperson from Michigan.
That's just to name a few. Come into the library & grab one of the books off the display that QPL has for Arab Heritage Month. Learn some of the history or cook some of the food from an available cookbook. Or watch a movie. So many ways that you can celebrate this month and any time of the year!