National Arab American Heritage Month

There are two huge things that have happened in the month of April: my 21st birthday and National Arab American Heritage Month! I would like to thank everyone for the birthday wishes. As hard as it is for me to believe, me turning 21 was a milestone I did not think I would ever reach. It was an emotional day for me but I was surrounded by those who love me and there is nothing that could beat the feeling of being surrounded those who love you. I could go on and on about my birthday but I want to take the time to talk about National Arab Heritage Month because I have learned so much the past few months that have allowed me to explore myself more as an American citizen.

This semester, I decided to take a course which focused on the Introduction to American Studies and Intro to Arab American Studies. Little did I know that I would not only learn so much from this course but read the stories of Arab Americans who share what it is like to live in America. I read and discovered so many things from the website called: Arab Indianapolis. There is so much that has allowed me to understand their history, experience, and the impact it has on them today. For the whole month of April, I had to figure out a way to share the knowledge I have gained by reading the Arab Indianapolis blogs and what better way to do that than write about it through my own blog. I invite you to keep an open mind and allow yourself to share the knowledge with others around you. I would like to also add that I will be making another blog sometime this summer when I take a self-guided tour of the sites along the Arab Indianapolis Heritage Trail! I was supposed to do it before the semester ended but there was so many conflicts that prevented me from doing so. There is more information on the trail on Arab Indianapolis' website. Here is the link below:

https://arabindianapolis.com/

This course gave me a fantastic opportunity to understand and see perspectives from others that weren't born in the United States of America. I always told myself that I want to be the kind of American who not only respects everyone in America, but also the one who can also have knowledge and understanding about other Americans who have different experiences and reasons for living in America. In one of the very first Arab Indianapolis blogs I read, there was one part in an article that made me think of how different Arab immigrants might be from other immigrants. Arab Indianapolis mentioned a woman named Sadie Freije Hider, who I found interesting and found myself wanting to know more about others like her. In the blog, it is mentioned how she:

“May not have started out with much, but she lived long enough to see her children succeed in business and her grandchildren excel in Indianapolis’ public schools” (ArabIndianapolis.com).

At that time, I thought that was powerful because even today, there are immigrants who still struggle to succeed when it comes to business and making a living in America and today, I still find this part powerful. One thing that never truly occurred to me was with how the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) did not only commit acts of violence against Black people, but towards people who shared different religious beliefs. In one of the Arab Indianapolis blogs, it discusses the impact the KKK had on Arab Americans in the 1920s:

“Discriminated against and committed acts of violence against Black people as well as Catholics and Jews-in short, anyone who was not white and Protestant” (Arab Indianapolis).

When I was younger, I was only taught about how the KKK treated Black people but never with people of different religions. This allowed me to explore, research, and educate myself better on America’s history towards others because like I said before, I want to be an American who does everything she can to educate herself and others. Another highlight from this semester from reading the blogs is with learning and understanding the perspective of Arab American women, especially those in Indianapolis. In an interview with Dounya Muslet, she mentions that:

“I am constantly doing what I can to be a better Palestinian because I don’t want my future children to ever be ashamed of where their family is from, the language they speak, or the clothes they wear.” (Arab Indianapolis).

This is something that has stuck with me ever since because it speaks volume on the impact it has to do with one’s identity. Like Muslet, Rabia Jermoumi, an economist who takes pride in who she is as a person, also teaches her kids why it is important to understand where they come from and why it gives them power to know their identity. She tells her kids that:

“I am not going to let them dictate who I am, what jobs I take, or what I do with my life.’ She will not allow fear to sabotage her dreams for herself, her children, or her community. ‘We are who we are,’” she says. “Find the courage within yourself to embrace it.” (Arab Indianapolis).

One cool thing I would like to share with you is about Dr. Bill Nassar, who was born in Terre Haute, Indiana in 1993 (Arab Indianapolis). According to Arab Indianapolis,

“Nasser is sometimes called Indiana’s ‘father of cardiology’” (Arab Indianapolis).

As someone who is passionate about medicine, I was fascinated to discover how Nassar, “In 1972, St. Vincent’s Hospital asked him to help establish their heart program, which has become one of the largest and most successful cardiology practices in the country” (Arab Indianapolis). That is huge and something that gave me goosebumps because I never knew about that and now am glad, I learned about it. It is an honor to be able to be educated on the identities of Arab Americans, through their lives, perspectives, thoughts, and life stories this semester. Unbelievably, while I am not an enthusiastic fan of football, I was excited to explore more about Jeff George, an NFL quarterback, in one of the blogs.

“The George family is one of several Arab American families who have made their mark on the history of football” (Arab Indianapolis).

There are just so many stories about the Arab Americans I have discovered in which many have contributed in a way that it is always going to be part of the history here in the United States. These are just the very few stories I have explored throughout this semester under Dr. Edward Curtis, who is the William M. and Gail M. Plater Chair of the Liberal Arts and Professor of Religious Studies at the Indiana University School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI. In fact, I think it would be beneficial for anyone to watch this four-minute video in which Dr. Curtis elaborates more on Arab Indianapolis.

For anyone who is currently a student or plan to enroll at IUPUI, I highly encourage you to sign up for one class under Dr. Curtis. You will not only learn new things but also discover so much that you will share with others, just like me. I would also like to personally thank Professor Curtis for allowing me to learn from him this semester and gain a better understanding of others around me in a way I truly appreciate.

Everyone who knows me know that I love quotes so much. For National Arab American Heritage Month, I have decided to make a video of quotes by famous Arab people that are not only powerful but also quotes I will always remember.

Works Cited:

Arab Indianapolis. “Economist Rabia Jermoumi.” WordPress, https://arabindianapolis.com/economist-rabia-jermoumi/.

Arab Indianapolis. “Healing Hoosiers for a Century.” WordPress, https://arabindianapolis.com/healing-hoosiers-for-a-century-the-doctors/

Arab Indianapolis. “Miss Dounya Muslet, Greenbriar Elementary.” WordPress, https://arabindianapolis.com/miss-dounya-muslet-greenbriar-elementary/.

Arab Indianapolis. “NFL Quarterback Jeff George.” WordPress, https://arabindianapolis.com/nfl-quarterback-jeff-george/.

Arab Indianapolis. “Sadie Hider, A Founding Mother of Arab Indianapolis.” WordPress, https://arabindianapolis.com/sadie-hider-a-founding-mother-of-arab-indianapolis.

Arab Indianapolis. “The Founding of St. George Syrian Church in the 1920s.” WordPress, https://arabindianapolis.com/the-founding-of-st-george-syrian-church-in-the-1920s/.