1. National Arab American Heritage Month Theme 2025 a. What does Arab American mean?
b. Getting Involved
UPCOMING EVENTS
ARAB AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH PANEL: ACTIVISM, INTERSECTIONALITY AND ARAB IDENTITY ON APRIL 17, 2025, CC AUDITORIUM, 7PM
AL NAKBA DAY, MAY 15 2025
2. Student groups a. Arab American movies, documentaries, books, etc. b. Taking Action
3. Current campaigns a. Upcoming events on campus b.
GETTING STARTED
To help you celebrate National Arab American Heritage Month in May, the Office of Intercultural Student Engagement has created a toolkit that provides a host of resources to help you explore, plan, communicate, and engage your teams on this significant month.
This toolkit contains links to videos, photos, articles, and shared folder to be used at the University at Albany to explore the heritage, culture, and experience of Arab heritage people both historically and in American life today.
National Arab American Heritage Month, celebrated each April since 2017, honors the rich culture, history, and contributions of Arab Americans. With a population of over 3.5 million, Arab Americans trace their roots to multiple waves of immigrants from Arabic-speaking nations across the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, beginning in the 1880s.
Arab heritage spans thousands of years and includes 22 nations: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
The term "Arab American" refers to individuals who have immigrated from or are descendants of people from these regions. It is a pan-ethnic term that encompasses various ethnicities and cultural backgrounds, unified primarily by a shared language—Arabic—and regional origin, rather than by religion.
This year the theme is Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future.
GETTING INVOLVED
Historic student groups on campus
Saudi Student Association
Current student groups on campus
Students for Justice in Palestine
Arab Student Union (ASU)
Instagram: arabstudentunion ua
Email: ahlanwasahlanua@gmail.com
North African and Arab Society (NAAS)
Instagram: naasualbany
Email: naasualbany@gmail.com
Movies and Documentaries
5 Broken Cameras (2011) directed by Emad Burnat, Guy Davidi
American Arab (2014) directed by Usama Alshaibi
The Green Prince (2014) directed by Nadav Schirman
Check out more movies and shows with Arab leads
Books and Memoirs
Salt Houses by Hala Alyan
In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar
The Moor’s Account by Laila Lalami
The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi
Three Worlds: Memoirs of an Arab Jew by Avi Shlaim
The Other Americans by Laila Lalami
Find more here
Kahlil Gibran: A Literary Hero
Lebanese-born writer and artist Kahlil Gibran gained recognition for his spiritual writings in both Arabic and English, rising to fame after the release of The Prophet in 1923.
Image: Kahlil Gibran
TAKING ACTION
Learn about the history of Palestine: https://uscpr.org/activistresource/palestine-101/
Check out this toolkit for the #NoPrideInApartheid Campaign
Learn about the #NoPrideInGenocide Campaign
For more information and more images like this one, check out Visualizing Palestine.
MORE RESOURCES
QUEER ARAB AMERICAN IDENTITY
Arab-American Heritage Month serves as a valuable moment to highlight the experiences, challenges, and achievements of Arab LGBTQ+ individuals, honoring their strength, bravery, and impact on both the LGBTQ+ community and broader society. By recognizing the importance of intersectionality and embracing the diverse identities within the Arab LGBTQ+ community, we can push back against one-dimensional narratives, encourage meaningful dialogue, and work toward a more inclusive and just environment for everyone. Check out these artists and creators making waves today.
Check out this article: Growing the Prism Inside: An exploration of Queer Arab Identity
THE MUSLIM ALLIANCE FOR SEXUAL AND GENDER DIVERSITY
MASGD is a Black/Indigenous Global Majority, Trans, and Muslim-led organization dedicated to supporting, empowering, and connecting LGBPQ+ and 2STGNCI+ Muslims, as well as those who are racialized or perceived as Muslim. The organization works to challenge the root causes of oppression, such as misogyny, racism, capitalism, and xenophobia.
THE COLONIAL LEGACY OF THE ARAB WORLD
Arab Americans are religiously diverse, reflecting the wide range of beliefs found across the Arab world. While the earliest immigrants were primarily Christian, with smaller numbers of Muslims, today the Arab American community includes Christians, Muslims, Druze, Jews, Mandaeans, and people of other faiths, as well as those with secular identities. Most of the nations in the Arab world were only founded in the mid-20th century, after emerging from decades of primarily British and French control. Before colonization, much of these lands were under Ottoman rule with the exception of most of the Gulf region. However, when the trajectories of Arab countries are discussed today, this not-so-distant history is often obscured, and analyses of the behaviors of these countries and their leaders are primarily limited to immediate economic or political considerations or to debates about cultural and religious factors
ARAB DOES NOT MEAN MUSLIM
ARAB AND JEWISH
Known as Mizrahim in Israel, these Jews now represent the largest ethnic group in the country. Most migrated to Israel after 1948, and for much of the nation’s history, they have faced the same anti-Arab ideology directed at Palestinians. For centuries, Mizrahi Jews held prominent status in their home countries across the Middle East and North Africa, from Iraq to Egypt to Morocco. However, upon arriving in Israel, they encountered a state dominated by European Jews, known as Ashkenazim, who largely regarded them as primitive and culturally inferior. A Jewish family in Baghdad in 1912. Heritage Images/Getty Images
DISABILITY JUSTICE
The Abolition and Disability Justice Collective states, “Disability justice cannot exist under settler colonialism, military occupation, imprisonment, and apartheid. We write this in support of the Palestinian struggle for freedom, dignity, and self-determination… Disability justice requires solidarity with Palestine.” As outlined by Patty Berne, one of the core principles of disability justice is collective liberation recognizing that true freedom comes from standing in solidarity with others and understanding that our liberation is inherently connected to the liberation of all people.
Digital sketch drawing by Kalyn Heffernan of Ibrahim Abu Thurayeh on the front lines in Gaza. Holding high a peace sign and the Palestinian flag in a wheelchair as a double amputee with no legs. Shot and killed by israeli soldiers at 29 yrs old after being shot losing both his legs for protesting
The Pan-Arab Colors
The four Pan-Arab colors—white, red, green, and black each hold historical significance, symbolizing different eras and dynasties in the Arab world Black represents the Rashidun Caliphate, the Abbasid Caliphate, and the banner of the Prophet Muhammad. White symbolizes the Umayyad Caliphate, while green is associated with the Fatimid Caliphate. Red was used by the Hashemites, the Ottoman Empire, and the Khawarij.
Image: Pan Arab flags
UPCOMING EVENTS
National Arab American Heritage Month Panel: Activism, Intersectionality and Arab Identity on April 17, 2025, CC Auditorium (Panel from 7-8pm, Reception from 8-9pm)
Nakba Day - May 15, 2025: Al Nakba Day is an annual commemoration for Palestinians on May 15. The Palestinians around the world observe that day to remember and remind the world about the mass displacements and killings that happened to the Palestinian people during 1948 at the hands of Zionists, which led to the establishment of the state of Israel on May 15, 1948. Palestinians around the world this year are commemorating Al-Nakba while they are witnessing with deep pain and frustration history repeat itself in Gaza, but the difference is that today the world is watching the mass displacement, killing, and starvation live, not like the case 77 years ago. However, the international community is still standing on the same side, taking the same passive position Al Nakba is an Arabic word that means catastrophe. For more information, contact the Office of
