IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1155 

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 

APRIL 17, 2024 

Ms. TLAIB (for herself, Mrs. DINGELL, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mrs. RAMIREZ, Mr. 

CARSON, Mr. MCGOVERN, and Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN) submitted the 

following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight 

and Accountability 

RESOLUTION 

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. 

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, including both Christians and Muslims originating from 

any of the 22 Arabic-speaking countries; 

Whereas persons of Arab descent have throughout their history in the United States generously shared their culture, 

music, and food with their fellow Americans and contributed disproportionately to their numbers to the economy 


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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-todoor 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 hardworking, self-sufficient contributors to the United States 

economy; 

Whereas the first recorded Arab in America was the Moroccan 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 servants 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 movements, such as the civil rights, labor organizing, 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, engineering, 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 leading 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 photography; and 

(5) Dr. Michael DeBakey, a cardiovascular surgeon 

and inventor of ventricular assist devices and aorta repair 

procedures; 

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 

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 quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie, and in 

entertainment, including actors, singers, comedians, and 


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musicians such as actor, singer, and founder of St. 

Jude’s Children’s Hospital, Danny Thomas, Emmy-winner Tony Shalhoub, comedian, and commentator Dean 

Obeidallah, gifted musician Dr. Ali Jihad Racy, awardwinning 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 writers have informed their communities and others in Arabic 

and English, adding to the body of American literature 

and reporting beginning with Nabeeb and Ibrahim 

Arbeely, editors of the first Arab American newspaper, 

Kawkab Amirka, the distinguished writer of the first 

Arab American novel, ‘‘The Book of Khalid’’, Ameen 

Rihani, the renowned poet, writer, and artist, author of 

‘‘The Prophet’’, among his other numerous writings, and 

founder of the Pen Bond writers, the beloved writer 

Kahlil Gibran, the late New York Times reporter Anthony Shadid, White House Press Corps Correspondent 

Helen Thomas (recognized by the World Almanac as one 

of the 25 most influential women in America), poet and 

writer Naomi Shihab Nye, novelist Diana Abu-Jaber, and 

hundreds more; 

Whereas Arab American women have provided excellent role 

models such as Emmy-winning actor Marlo Thomas, actress Kathy Najimy, Secretary of Health and Human 

Services Donna Shalala, artist and poet Etel Adnan, National 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; 


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Whereas ‘‘National Arab American Heritage Month’’ 

(NAAHM) is necessary to address the misconceptions, 

misinformation, Arabophobia, anti-Arabism, and discrimination against Arab Americans by celebrating their accomplishments 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, and 

President Biden recognized the celebration of NAAHM in 

an April 19, 2021, letter to the Arab America Foundation, making him the first sitting United States President 

to do so, and the Department of State recognized April 

as NAAHM in 2021; 

Whereas last year at least 48 States and territories have 

taken steps to recognize April as NAAHM, including the 

governments of— 

(1) Alabama; 

(2) Alaska; 

(3) Arizona; 

(4) Arkansas; 

(5) California; 

(6) Colorado; 

(7) Connecticut; 

(8) Delaware; 

(9) the District of Columbia; 

(10) Georgia; 

(11) Hawaii; 

(12) Illinois; 

(13) Indiana; 


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(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 Jersey; 

(29) New Mexico; 

(30) New Hampshire; 

(31) New York; 

(32) North Carolina; 

(33) North Dakota; 

(34) Ohio; 

(35) Oklahoma; 

(36) Oregon; 

(37) Pennsylvania; 

(38) Rhode Island; 

(39) South Carolina; 

(40) South Dakota; 

(41) Texas; 

(42) Utah; 

(43) Vermont; 

(44) Virginia; 

(45) Washington; 

(46) West Virginia; 


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(47) Wisconsin; and 

(48) Wyoming; 

Whereas numerous cities, towns, and counties across America 

have taken steps to recognize April as NAAHM, including— 

(1) Los Angeles, California; 

(2) Orange County, California; 

(3) San Francisco, California; 

(4) San Diego, California; 

(5) Gainesville, Florida; 

(6) Orlando, Florida; 

(7) Atlanta, Georgia; 

(8) Chicago, Illinois; 

(9) Cook County, Illinois; 

(10) Baltimore, Maryland; 

(11) Dallas, Texas; 

(12) Detroit, Michigan; 

(13) Wayne County, Michigan; 

(14) Dearborn, Michigan; 

(15) Dearborn Heights, Michigan; 

(16) Flint, Michigan; 

(17) Yonkers, New York, 

(18) Westchester County, New York; 

(19) Raleigh, North Carolina; 

(20) Cuyahoga County, Ohio; 

(21) Cleveland, Ohio; 

(22) Toledo, Ohio; 

(23) Portland, Oregon; 

(24) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; 

(25) Dallas, Texas; 

(26) Alexandria, Virginia; 

(27) Richmond, Virginia; 

(28) Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and 


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(29) Madison, Wisconsin; 

Whereas 4 States have passed permanent legislation designating the month of April as NAAHM, including Illinois, 

Oregon, Virginia, and California, and several States are 

considering permanent legislation, including 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 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) supports the designation of ‘‘National Arab 

3 American Heritage Month’’; 

4 (2) esteems the integral role of Arab Americans 

5 in the economy, culture, and identity of the United 

6 States; and 

7 (3) urges the people of the United States to 

8 serve National Arab American Heritage Month with 

9 appropriate programs and activities that recognize 

10 and celebrate the unique contributions of Arab 

11 Americans. 

Æ 


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