April serves as National Arab American Heritage Month (NAAHM), a newly created holiday that recognizes the achievements of Arab Americans. Throughout April, college campuses, state legislatures and non-profit organizations mark NAAHM with programs and ceremonies honoring Arab Americans.
Arab American Heritage Month began in the 1990s with celebrations occurring in various states at different times through the year. It wasn’t until 2019, 30 years later, that the Arab American Foundation created the holiday.
In 2021, the federal government officially recognized April as NAAHM. Biden issued a proclamation explaining the reasoning behind NAAHM.
“The Arab American community is essential to the fabric of our nation,” Biden said. “It exemplifies so much of what our country stands for: hard work, resilience, compassion and generosity.”
States with higher populations of Arab Americans are organizing events across the country. The Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, is giving virtual tours, allowing everyone to view their galleries.
The Museum of the City of New York hosted several virtual workshops to celebrate NAAHM for students. New York is also sponsoring the 2024 New York Arab Festival, which will features various aspects from Arab cultures such as food, art, etc. Louisiana, while not having any official celebration yet, has shown support for the establishment of NAAHM. Following Biden’s proclamation, former Governor John Bell Edwards expressed his support for NAAHM.
College campuses across the U.S. organized events this April to support NAAHM.
The University of New Mexico is celebrating NAAHM by inviting guest speakers to share their stories, hosting cultural clubs and showing films from Arab directors.
Central Michigan University is offering a seminar to help students understand the customs and practices of Arab cultures as well as an interactive game where students can learn Arabic.
There currently are not any colleges within Louisiana that are hosting events for NAAHM. However, there are several mosques within the state that students can visit to learn more about Arab culture.
ULM has yet to announce how the campus will celebrate NAAHM.