IV
119THCONGRESS
1
STSESSION H. RES. 351
Expressing support for the recognition of April as ‘‘National Arab American
Heritage Month’’ (NAAHM) and celebrating the heritage and culture
of Arab Americans in the United States.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL24, 2025
Ms. T
LAIB(for herself, Mr. CARSON, Ms. PRESSLEY, Mr. JACKSONof Illinois,
Ms. S
CHAKOWSKY, Mr. LYNCH, Ms. SIMON, Mr. FROST, Mrs. MCIVER,
Ms. B
ROWNLEY, Mr. THANEDAR, and Mrs. DINGELL) submitted the fol-
lowing resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and
Government Reform
RESOLUTION
Expressing support for the recognition of April as ‘‘National
Arab American Heritage Month’’ (NAAHM) and cele-
brating the heritage and culture of Arab Americans in
the United States.
Whereas today the Arab American Institute estimates that
roughly 3,700,000 Arab Americans are living in the
United States from a variety of faith backgrounds, in-
cluding both Christians and Muslims originating from
any of the 22 Arabic-speaking countries;
Whereas persons of Arab descent have throughout their his-
tory in the United States generously shared their culture,
music, and food with their fellow Americans and contrib-
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•HRES 351 IH
uted disproportionately to their numbers to the economy
and society of the United States, having brought with
them to the United States their resilient family values,
strong work ethic, dedication to education, and diversity
that have added strength to United States democracy;
Whereas Arab American entrepreneurs from the first door-to-
door peddlers, to owners of restaurants, bakeries, and
stores, to large manufacturers of men’s and women’s
clothes (Farah and Haggar, for example) have been hard-
working, self-sufficient contributors to the United States
economy;
Whereas the first recorded Arab in America was the Moroc-
can Mostafa (Estanaico) Zemmouri in 1527, and Arab
Americans, including the early Syrians and Lebanese,
began arriving in significant numbers to the shores of the
United States in the 1870s, including Antonio
Bishallany, who arrived in Boston in 1854, and another
early wave arrival, Dr. Joseph Arbeeley, who became
American citizens, and waves of other Arab Americans
that followed;
Whereas Arab Americans have served the United States as
first responders, in the public sector, and as public serv-
ants from both political parties, past and present, in the
United States Government, the Congress, the Senate, as
exemplified by James Abourezk, the first Arab American
Senator who was raised by Lebanese immigrant parents
in South Dakota, and as ambassadors, cabinet members,
as well as all other Arab Americans in uniform today;
Whereas Arab Americans have and continue to play a critical
role in America’s social justice and human rights move-
ments, such as the civil rights, labor organizing, health
and racial equity, and environmental justice movements;
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Whereas recently Arab Americans’ activism continues to play
a key role in present day struggles for social justice and
human rights such as the movement for Black lives, the
ceasefire movement to end the genocide of Palestinians,
and many more;
Whereas Arab Americans have excelled in science, engineer-
ing, medicine, education, scholarship, and architecture,
including—
(1) organic chemist Elias James Corey (Nobel Prize
1990);
(2) Ahmed Zewail, a chemist investigating transition
reactions (Nobel Prize 1999);
(3) Mostafa El-Sayed, a chemical physicist and lead-
ing nanoscience researcher, a member of the National
Academy of Sciences and a United States National Medal
of Science laureate who sat on the President’s National
Medal of Science Committee in 2014;
(4) Dr. Farouk El-Baz, a pioneer in space photog-
raphy;
(5) Dr. Michael DeBakey, a cardiovascular surgeon
and inventor of ventricular assist devices and aorta repair
procedures;
(6) Amale Andraos, a renowned architect and former
Dean of the Columbia Graduate School of Architecture,
Planning, and Preservation; and
(7) Dr. Edward Said, literary theorist and critic,
former literature professor at Columbia University, and
one of the founders of post-colonial studies;
Whereas, in 1959, Mohamed Atalla, an Egyptian-American
engineer who was an important pioneer and contributor
to the early field of modern electronics, invented the
metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor, which is
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the most-frequently manufactured device in history and
hailed by the United States Patent and Trademark Office
as one of the most important inventions in electronics;
Whereas Arab Americans have excelled in sports, like quar-
terback and Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie, and in
entertainment, including actors, singers, comedians, and
musicians such as actor, singer, and founder of St.
Jude’s Children’s Hospital, Danny Thomas, Emmy-win-
ner Tony Shalhoub, comedian, and commentator Dean
Obeidallah, gifted musician Dr. Ali Jihad Racy, award-
winning violinist Simon Shaheen, and so many others;
Whereas, according to Census Bureau data, Arabic is one of
the fastest-growing languages in the United States, and
Arab American journalists, newspaper editors, and writ-
ers have informed their communities and others in Arabic
and English, adding to the body of American literature
and reporting, including—
(1) Nabeeb and Ibrahim Arbeely, editors of the first
Arab American newspaper, Kawkab Amirka;
(2) Ameen Rihani, the distinguished writer of the
first Arab American novel, ‘‘The Book of Khalid’’;
(3) Khalil Gibran, the renowned poet, writer, artist,
founder of the Pen Bond writers, and author of ‘‘The
Prophet’’ among other numerous writings;
(4) Anthony Shadid, the late New York Times re-
porter;
(5) Helen Thomas, White House Press Corps Cor-
respondent (recognized by the World Almanac as one of
the 25 most influential women in America);
(6) Naomi Shihab Nye, poet and writer; and
(7) Diana Abu-Jaber, the acclaimed novelist, and
hundreds more;
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Whereas Arab American women have provided excellent role
models such as Emmy-winning actor Marlo Thomas,
actor Kathy Najimy, Secretary of Health and Human
Services Donna Shalala, artist and poet Etel Adnan, Na-
tional Public Radio host Diane Reim, and the doctor who
raised awareness that children were being poisoned by
lead in Flint, Michigan, Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, plus
all the women previously mentioned and thousands of
other accomplished women not herein listed;
Whereas ‘‘National Arab American Heritage Month’’
(NAAHM) is necessary to address the misconceptions,
misinformation, anti-Arab racism, and discrimination
against Arab Americans by celebrating their accomplish-
ments and providing factual information about Arab
American culture and persons and the need for public
education, awareness, and policies that are culturally
competent when describing, discussing, and addressing
the impacts of being Arab American in all aspects of
American society;
Whereas, in 2017, Arab America established NAAHM, in
2021, the White House first recognized the celebration of
NAAHM in an April 19 letter to the Arab America
Foundation, and in 2023, the White House issued an of-
ficial proclamation declaring April as Arab American
Heritage Month, a breakthrough for the Arab American
community;
Whereas, in recent years, at least 48 States and territories
have taken steps to recognize April as Arab American
Heritage Month, including the governments of—
(1) Alabama;
(2) Alaska;
(3) Arizona;
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(4) Arkansas;
(5) California;
(6) Colorado;
(7) Connecticut;
(8) Delaware;
(9) the District of Columbia;
(10) Georgia;
(11) Hawaii;
(12) Illinois;
(13) Indiana;
(14) Iowa;
(15) Kansas;
(16) Kentucky;
(17) Louisiana;
(18) Maine;
(19) Maryland;
(20) Massachusetts;
(21) Michigan;
(22) Minnesota;
(23) Mississippi;
(24) Missouri;
(25) Montana;
(26) Nebraska;
(27) Nevada;
(28) New Hampshire;
(29) New Jersey;
(30) New Mexico;
(31) New York;
(32) North Carolina;
(33) North Dakota;
(34) Ohio;
(35) Oklahoma;
(36) Oregon;
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(37) Pennsylvania;
(38) Rhode Island;
(39) South Carolina;
(40) South Dakota;
(41) Texas;
(42) Utah;
(43) Vermont;
(44) Virginia;
(45) Washington;
(46) West Virginia;
(47) Wisconsin; and
(48) Wyoming;
Whereas numerous cities, towns, and counties across America
have taken steps to recognize April as Arab American
Heritage Month, including—
(1) Montgomery, Alabama;
(2) Gilbert, Arizona;
(3) Glendale, Arizona;
(4) Tempe, Arizona;
(5) Alameda, California;
(6) Anaheim, California;
(7) Berkeley, California;
(8) Burbank, California;
(9) Chula Vista, California;
(10) Dublin, California;
(11) Los Altos, California
(12) Los Angeles, California;
(13) Los Angeles County, California;
(14) Orange County, California;
(15) Rancho Cucamonga, California
(16) San Francisco, California;
(17) San Diego, California;
(18) Santa Monica, California;
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(19) South San Francisco, California;
(20) Temecula, California;
(21) Vista, California;
(22) Boulder County, Colorado;
(23) Salida, Colorado;
(24) Gainesville, Florida;
(25) Orlando, Florida;
(26) Atlanta, Georgia;
(27) Gwinnett County, Georgia;
(28) Snellville, Georgia;
(29) Chicago, Illinois;
(30) Cook County, Illinois;
(31) Linn County, Iowa;
(32) Overland Park, Kansas;
(33) Topeka, Kansas;
(34) Wichita, Kansas;
(35) Louisville, Kentucky;
(36) Portland, Maine;
(37) Baltimore, Maryland;
(38) Baltimore County, Maryland;
(39) Bowie, Maryland;
(40) Charles County, Maryland;
(41) Hyattsville, Maryland;
(42) Montgomery County, Maryland;
(43) Gaithersburg, Maryland;
(44) Rockville, Maryland;
(45) Boston, Massachusetts;
(46) Worcester, Massachusetts;
(47) Ann Arbor, Michigan;
(48) Detroit, Michigan;
(49) Wayne County, Michigan;
(50) Dearborn, Michigan;
(51) Dearborn Heights, Michigan;
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(52) Flint, Michigan;
(53) Livonia, Michigan;
(54) St. Paul, Minnesota;
(55) Clifton, New Jersey;
(56) Jersey City, New Jersey;
(57) Monroe Township, New Jersey;
(58) Paterson, New Jersey;
(59) Prospect Park, New Jersey;
(60) Albany, New York;
(61) Buffalo, New York;
(62) Yonkers, New York,
(63) Westchester County, New York;
(64) Raleigh, North Carolina;
(65) Cuyahoga County, Ohio;
(66) Cleveland, Ohio;
(67) Dayton, Ohio;
(68) Lakewood, Ohio;
(69) Toledo, Ohio;
(70) Multnomah County, Oregon;
(71) Portland, Oregon;
(72) Washington County, Oregon;
(73) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;
(74) Charleston, South Carolina;
(75) Columbia, South Carolina;
(76) Memphis, Tennessee;
(77) Dallas, Texas;
(78) San Antonio, Texas
(79) Alexandria, Virginia;
(80) Arlington County, Virginia;
(81) Fairfax, Virginia;
(82) Fairfax County, Virginia;
(83) Henrico County, Virginia;
(84) Loudoun County, Virginia;
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(85) Prince William County, Virginia;
(86) Richmond, Virginia;
(87) Virginia Beach, Virginia;
(88) Ellensburg, Washington;
(89) Kirkland, Washington;
(90) Morgantown, West Virginia;
(91) Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and
(92) Madison, Wisconsin;
Whereas 4 States have passed permanent legislation desig-
nating the month of April as AAHM, including Illinois,
Oregon, Virginia, and California, and several States are
considering or have made progress toward passing per-
manent legislation, including Indiana, Ohio, Michigan,
and Rhode Island; and
Whereas the incredible contributions and heritage of Arab
Americans have helped to build a better Nation: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1
(1) supports the designation of ‘‘National Arab 2
American Heritage Month’’; 3
(2) esteems the integral role of Arab Americans 4
in the economy, culture, and identity of the United 5
States; and 6
(3) urges the people of the United States to 7
serve National Arab American Heritage Month with 8
appropriate programs and activities that recognize 9
and celebrate the unique contributions of Arab 10
Americans. 11
Æ
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