The Daniel F. Cracchiolo Law Library at the University of Arizona is delighted to celebrate National Arab American Heritage Month!
Arab America and the Arab America Foundation launched the National Arab American Heritage Month (NAAHM) initiative in 2017, with just a handful of states recognizing the initiative. This year (2023), 33 states/governors have issued proclamations plus more from mayors, school boards, and county executives. In 2022, Governor Doug Ducey as well as the mayor of Phoenix and Glendale all issued a proclamation recognizing April 2022 as NAAHM. There has not been any proclamation issued for 2023.
Four states have passed permanent legislation designating the month of April as NAAHM including Illinois, Oregon, Virginia, the Indiana Senate, and several states are considering permanent legislation including Ohio, New Jersey, Michigan, and Rhode Island.
In 2022, President Biden became the first U.S. president to declare April as Arab American Heritage Month, in recognition of the contributions of Arab Americans to the United States. This year's proclamation, President Biden said, “This month, we join together to celebrate the immeasurable contributions of Arab Americans to our Nation and recommit ourselves to the timeless work of making sure that all people have the opportunity to achieve the American Dream.… Today, the achievements of Arab Americans are reflected in the arts and sciences; in businesses and faith communities; in classrooms and hospitals; and in police stations, firehouses, and every branch of the military. Arab Americans are also proudly serving throughout my Administration, bringing a diversity of expertise that helps make this country stronger, more prosperous, and more just.”
On April 10, Congresswoman Rashida Talib (MI-12) proposed H. Res 286 expressing support for the recognition of April as National Arab American Heritage Month.
Additionally, The State Department issued a statement recognizing NAAHM.
In honor of Arab American Heritage, the library curated a book display highlighting Arab Americans. Titles include:
Arab-American Faces and Voices by
The Rise of the Arab American Left by
The Making of Arab Americans by
Looking for Palestine by
The Arab Americans by
Arab Americans on the Bench
Rosemary Barkett: Barkett was the first woman on the Florida Supreme Court and its first female Chief Justice. Since 2013, she has worked as a judge on the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal. She was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit appointed by President Bill Clinton. She was born in Mexico to Syrian parents.
Charlene Mekled Elder: Elder was [one of] the first female, Arab American, and Muslim judges to serve in the U.S. She was also the first Arab American judge to speak Arabic fluently. She is a Lebanese American. Elder currently is a judge on the 3rd Circuit Court in Michigan. One of her most influential accolades is her helping to initiate the Domestic Violence Prevention Court.
Zahid Quraishi: In 2021, the U.S. Senate approved President Biden’s nomination of Zahid Quraishi, a magistrate judge in New Jersey, to the federal bench, making him one of the first Muslim federal judges in U.S. history. Quraishi will serve as U.S. district judge for the District of New Jersey. Before being appointed as a magistrate in 2019, which did not require Senate confirmation, Quraishi was a partner in the white collar criminal defense practice of New Jersey law firm Riker Danzig Scherer Hyland & Perretti. He had previously worked as an assistant U.S. attorney, assistant chief counsel with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and a prosecutor with the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Quraishi served two tours with the Army in Iraq, in 2004 and 2006.
George Caram Steeh: The Honorable George C. Steeh was appointed United States District Judge in 1998 by President Clinton. He previously served as a Macomb County Circuit Court Judge from 1990 until 1998, after serving for two years as a District Court Judge in Mt. Clemens.
Mariam Bazzi: Bazzi is a judge of the Michigan 3rd Circuit Court. In 2006, Bazzi became a Wayne County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney and was then appointed to the 3rd Circuit Court in Wayne County in 2017. She won re-election in 2020 and her term ends in 2027.
Yvonna Abraham appointed first Palestinian American judge in Wayne County Third Circuit Court. Abraham is the first Palestinian American judge in the state of Michigan.
Additional Resources
Who Started the Movement for National Arab American Heritage Month? History and Legacy
Arab American Institute Demographic Data
Michigan State University Libraries Arab American Studies Research Guide: Books on Arab / Middle Eastern Americans
University of Michigan-Dearborn Center for Arab American Studies
Arab American Blog
The History of Arab Immigration to the United States
Arab American Fun Facts
Educator’s Curriculum Kit
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