Dear Campus Community,
We are in the midst of the National Arab American Heritage Month, which celebrates and honors the rich contributions of Arab-Americans and celebrates Arab-American heritage and culture. President Biden issued a statement on April 1, 2022 that formally recognizes April as National Arab American Heritage Month. A copy of that letter can be found on Arab American Foundation’s website.
According to the Arab American Institute, there are an estimated 3.7 million Americans who have Arab roots, traced to 22 different countries, including Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Palestine, Morocco, Iraq, Jordan, Yemen, Bahrain, Tunisia, Algeria, Sudan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and others.
Arab Americans are mostly native-born and 82% are now U.S. citizens. Nearly every state has Arab citizens, but ten states have higher populations (more than 2/3): California, Michigan, New York, Florida, Texas, New Jersey, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Metropolitan Los Angeles, Detroit, and New York are home to one-third of the population.
We, in the Division of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion would like to extend our warm wishes to the Arab American community for the rest of April’s celebrations.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth A. Moore, Ph.D.
Interim Chief Diversity Officer
