Teaching Arab-American Heritage
April celebrates Arab-American Heritage Month and all the contributions that Arab-Americans have made to society.
Today, Arab-Americans are a small but powerful minority community, making up 1% of the US population, with most Arab-Americans living in California. Here are some immersive resources for introducing students to the monumental impact that Arab-Americans have made in US science, politics, and culture.
Arab-American National Museum
The first and only museum dedicated to Arab-American heritage, the Arab-American National Museum in Dearborn, MI, has produced an extensive library of free resources for K-12 educators. Based on their core museum collections, these virtual galleries, lesson plans, and activities serve to teach students about Arab-American history and culture. ELA students can learn media literacy through refugee narratives and by breaking down stereotypes portrayed in films like Disney’s Aladdin. Students in social studies can learn about Arab-Americans in civil rights movements and the history of immigration and the “American Dream.”
Arab-American Book Awards
Administered by the Arab-American National Museum, the Children’s/YA section of the Arab-American Book Awards is a treasure trove of reading suggestions for students. Young readers may enjoy the beautiful illustrations in 2017 winner, The Three Lucys. Written by Hayan Charara and illustrated by Sara Kahn, this story about loss and hope in the July War in Lebanon comes with a teacher’s guide from the publisher (Fair warning: a pet is implied to die in this one!).
Older readers in middle- and high-school can enjoy the 2020 winner: Malaka Gharib’s graphic memoir, I Was Their American Dream. In this book, which features activities for readers in the book itself (as well as a digital reader’s guide), Gharib recounts her life growing up biracial and bicontinental as she strives to make sense of herself and her world.
Hend Al-Mansour’s “Women of Arabia 2”
Arab America News
Did you know the founder of Apple was Arab-American? Students and teachers can learn about Steve Jobs and other major Arab-Americans through the DC-based news site Arab America. Their extensive collection of themed resources to jump-start research projects for Arab-American Heritage Month. Readers can browse short articles on subjects such as “Arab Americans as Entrepreneurs,” “as Inventors,” and “as Visual Artists.” In addition, the News section collects articles on current events from an Arab-American perspective. Students can read about activism to officially designate a Little Arabia neighborhood in Orange County, CA, as well as socially conscious innovation in the world of Arab women’s fashion.
Multimedia Resources
The Library of Congress has recorded a fantastic reading of Lisa Suheir Majaj’s poem “Guidelines” by Naomi Shihab Nye, who responds to Majaj’s poem about discrimination and Arab-American identity with a poem of her own, “Blood.”
Fans of Aminah Mae Safi’s sapphic romcom for YA readers, Tell Me How You Really Feel, will enjoy the author’s discussion about growing up mixed-race on “The Queer Arabs” podcast.
Young artists can learn the history of Arabic calligraphic art with The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s short video for kids on writing in Islamic art.
For screen-free activities, take a dance break! Spotify’s 90s Arabic Hits playlist features high-energy music popular at Arab-American wedding receptions and dance parties. With YouTube tutorials, students can also learn to belly dance. Traditionally for women’s indoor entertainment, belly dance is a fun solo dance — great for socially distanced exercise!
Worked up an appetite dancing? Students can head into the kitchen to practice their math skills with Arabic recipes. Junior chefs can measure herbs and spices for za‘atar, a blend traditionally served sprinkled over khubz ‘araby (known as pita in English-speaking countries) that has been drizzled with oil. More advanced chefs who can safely use a food processor can whip up homemade hummus to serve with their khubz instead.