U.S. observance, April
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
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
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
[2]
and issued an official proclamation in 2023.
[16]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Biden, Mr. President Joe (April 19, 2021).
"White-House Letter From President Biden to Arab America"
(PDF)
.
White-House official letter
.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on April 26, 2021.
- ^
a
b
"Arab American Heritage Month"
.
Smithsonian Institution
. Retrieved
April 2,
2024
.
- ^
"Celebrating Arab American Heritage Month"
.
ThoughtCo
. Retrieved
December 23,
2017
.
- ^
Dingell, Debbie (April 30, 2019).
"Dingell, Tlaib, Stevens, Levin Recognize Arab American Heritage Month in Congress"
.
Debbie Dingell, Michigan's 12th District
.
Archived
from the original on August 4, 2019.
- ^
"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.
- ^
"Arab-American Heritage Month on the calendar of the U.S. Department of State' "Managing American Spaces"
"
.
Office of American Spaces
.
Archived
from the original on December 29, 2020.
- ^
David, Kevin (April 3, 2021).
"This Immigrant Entrepreneur Made History by Pushing The U.S. Department of State to Recognize April as the NAAHM"
.
Medium
.
Archived
from the original on April 19, 2021.
- ^
"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.
- ^
Hanania, Ray (April 2, 2021).
"US State Department salutes Arab American Heritage Month in video statement"
.
Arab News
.
- ^
Biden, Mr. President Joe (April 19, 2021).
"White-House Letter From President Biden to Arab America"
(PDF)
.
White House official letter
.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on April 26, 2021.
- ^
"Department Spokesperson Ned Price delivers remarks at the Daily Press Briefing on April 1, 2021"
. United States Department of State. April 1, 2021.
Archived
from the original on April 1, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^
Alsharif, Mirna (April 30, 2019).
"April is Arab American Heritage Month, the State Department declares"
.
Mirna Alsharif, CNN on April 5, 2021
.
Archived
from the original on April 5, 2021.
- ^
"Pierre Subeh thanking the Department Spokesperson Ned Price after delivering remarks at the Daily Press Briefing on April 1, 2021"
. United States Department of State. April 3, 2021.
Archived
from the original on April 1, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^
"Officially on the US federal calendar: April "National Month for Arab American Heritage."
"
.
Marah Bukai
. Al Arab Newspaper London. April 27, 2021 – via Wayback Machine.
- ^
Biden, Mr. President Joe (April 19, 2021).
"White-House Letter From President Biden to Arab America"
(PDF)
.
White House official letter
.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on April 26, 2021.
- ^
"A Proclamation on Arab American Heritage Month, 2023"
.
The White House
. March 31, 2023
. Retrieved
April 2,
2024
.
External links
[
edit
]
Holidays, observances, and celebrations in the United States
|
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January
| |
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January?February
| |
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February
American Heart Month
Black History Month
|
- Birthday of Luis Munoz Marin
(PR)
- Candlemas
(religious)
- Charles Darwin Day / Darwin Day
(CA, DE)
- Day of Remembrance
(CA, OR, WA, cultural)
- Georgia Day
(GA)
- Groundhog Day
- Imbolc
(religious)
- Lincoln's Birthday
(CA, CT, IL, IN, MO, NY, WV)
- National Girls and Women in Sports Day
- National Freedom Day
(36)
- Nirvana Day
(religious)
- Presentation of Our Lord to the Temple
(religious)
- Promised Reformer Day
(religious)
- Ronald Reagan Day
(CA)
- Rosa Parks Day
(CA, MO)
- Saviours' Day
(religious)
- Susan B. Anthony Day
(CA, FL, NY, WI, WV, proposed federal)
- Tu B’shvat
(religious)
|
---|
February?March
| |
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March
Irish-American Heritage Month
Colon Cancer Awareness Month
Women's History Month
|
- Annunciation of the Virgin Mary / Annunciation of the Theotokos
(religious)
- Casimir Pulaski Day
(IL)
- Cesar Chavez Day
(CA, CO, TX, proposed federal)
- Emancipation Day in Puerto Rico
(PR, cultural)
- Evacuation Day
(Suffolk County, MA)
- Harriet Tubman Day
(NY)
- Hola Mohalla
(religious)
- Holi
(NY, religious)
- L. Ron Hubbard's Birthday
(religious)
- Lailat al-Mi'raj
(religious)
- Liberation and Freedom Day
(Charlottesville, VA, cultural)
- Mardi Gras
(AL (in two counties), LA)
- Maryland Day
(MD)
- Medal of Honor Day
- National Poison Prevention Week
(week)
- Nowruz
(cultural, religious)
- Ostara
(religious)
- Pi Day
- Prince Jonah K?hi? Kalaniana?ole Day
(HI)
- Promised Messiah Day
(religious)
- Saint Joseph's Day
(religious)
- Seward's Day
(AK)
- Texas Independence Day
(TX)
- Town Meeting Day
(VT)
- Transfer Day
(VI)
- Trans Day of Visibility
(cultural)
|
---|
March?April
|
- Good Friday
(CT, NC, PR, NJ, VI, religious)
- Hanuman Jayanti
(religious)
- Holy Thursday
(PR, VI, religious)
- Holy Week
(PR, religious, week)
- Lazarus Saturday
(religious)
- Mahavir Janma Kalyanak
(religious)
- Mesha Sankranti / Hindu New Year
(religious)
- Palm Sunday
(PR, religious)
- Passover
(religious, week)
- Easter Monday / Bright Monday
(VI, religious)
- Ramnavami
(religious)
- Chandramana Uugadi / Souramana Uugadi
(religious)
|
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April
Arab American Heritage Month
Confederate History Month
| |
---|
May
Asian American and
Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Jewish American Heritage Month
Military Appreciation Month
| |
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June
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Transgender Pride Month
| |
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July
| |
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July?August
| |
---|
August
| |
---|
September
Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
| |
---|
September?October
Hispanic Heritage Month
| |
---|
October
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Disability Employment Awareness Month
Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month
Filipino American History Month
LGBT History Month
| |
---|
October?November
| |
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November
Native American Indian Heritage Month
|
- Ascension of ‘Abdu’l Baha
(religious)
- All Saints' Day
(religious)
- Beginning of the Nativity Fast
(religious)
- Beltane
/
Samhain
(religious)
- Barack Obama Day in Alabama
(Perry County, AL)
- D. Hamilton Jackson Day
(VI)
- Day after Thanksgiving
(24)
- Day of the Covenant
(religious)
- Discovery of Puerto Rico Day
(PR)
- Election Day
(CA, DE, HI, KY, MT, NJ, NY, OH, PR, VA, WV, proposed federal)
- Family Day
(NV)
- Guru Nanak Gurpurab
(religious)
- Hanukkah
(religious)
- L? K??oko?a
(HI, unofficial, cultural)
- Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur
(religious)
- Native American Heritage Day
(MD, WA, cultural)
- Presentation of the Theotokos to the Temple
(religious)
- Trans Day of Remembrance
(cultural)
- Unthanksgiving Day
(cultural)
|
---|
December
|
- Advent Sunday
(religious)
- Alabama Day
(AL)
- Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib
(religious)
- Bodhi Day
(religious)
- Chalica
(religious)
- Christmas Eve
(KY, NC, SC, PR, VI)
- Day after Christmas
(KY, NC, SC, TX, VI)
- Festivus
- HumanLight
- Hanukkah
(religious, week)
- Immaculate Conception
(religious)
- Indiana Day
(IN)
- Kwanzaa
(cultural, week)
- Milad Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin
(religious)
- National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
(36)
- Nativity of Jesus
(religious)
- Old Year's Night
(VI)
- Pan American Aviation Day
(36)
- Pancha Ganapati
(religious, week)
- Rosa Parks Day
(OH, OR)
- Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
(religious)
- Wright Brothers Day
(36)
- Yule
(religious)
- Zartosht No-Diso
(religious)
|
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Varies (year round)
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