119-hres351

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 351 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
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

 April 24, 2025

 Ms. Tlaib (for herself, Mr. Carson, Ms. Pressley, Mr. Jackson of 
Illinois, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Lynch, Ms. Simon, Mr. Frost, Mrs. McIver, 
 Ms. Brownley, Mr. Thanedar, and Mrs. Dingell) submitted the following 
 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 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 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 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, health and racial equity, and environmental justice 
 movements;
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;

    (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 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 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, 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 writers 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 reporter;

    (5) Helen Thomas, White House Press Corps Correspondent (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;

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, 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;
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 
 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, 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 official 
 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;

    (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;

    (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;

    (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;

    (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;

    (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 designating the month of 
 April as AAHM, including Illinois, Oregon, Virginia, and California, and 
 several States are considering or have made progress toward passing 
 permanent 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) supports the designation of ``National Arab American 
 Heritage Month'';

    (2) esteems the integral role of Arab Americans in the 
 economy, culture, and identity of the United States; and

    (3) urges the people of the United States to serve National 
 Arab American Heritage Month with appropriate programs and 
 activities that recognize and celebrate the unique 
 contributions of Arab Americans.
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