[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 297 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 297

   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 13, 2023

   Ms. Tlaib (for herself and Mrs. Dingell) 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 every April, the United States shall celebrate Arab American Heritage 
        Month given the rationale herein provided;
Whereas today the Arab American Institute estimates that there are roughly 
        3,700,000 Arab Americans 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, have throughout their history 
        in the United States generously shared their culture, music, and food 
        with their fellow citizens 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 our 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 the United States was the Moroccan Mostafa 
        (Estanaico) Zemmouri in 1527, and that Arab Americans, including the 
        early Syrians and Lebanese, began arriving in significant numbers to 
        these shores in the 1870s, including Antonio Bishallany, who arrived in 
        Boston in 1854, and another early wave arrival, Dr. Joseph Arbeeley who 
        became United States citizens and including waves of other Arab 
        Americans that followed;
Whereas Arab Americans have served in protection of the United States in every 
        major confrontation and in all branches of the military, and from World 
        War I and World War II to the present day as exemplified by ace jet 
        pilot, Colonel James Jabara who was highly decorated and served in World 
        War II and the Korean War, and all other Arab American persons in 
        uniform today, as well as first responders throughout the United States, 
        and as public servants from both political parties, past and present, 
        that have served in the United States Government, the Congress, the 
        Senate, and as ambassadors and cabinet members;
Whereas Arab Americans have excelled in science, engineering, medicine, 
        education, scholarship, and architecture including an organic chemist, 
        Elias James Corey (Nobel Prize 1990), chemist investigating transition 
        reactions, Ahmed Zewail (Nobel Prize 1999), chemical physicist, Mostafa 
        El-Sayed, a leading nanoscience researcher, a member of the National 
        Academy of Sciences and a National Medal of Science laureate who sat on 
        the President's National Medal of Science Committee in 2014, Dr. Farouk 
        El-Baz a pioneer in space photography, Dr. Michael DeBakey, 
        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 (MOSFET), 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 that Arab American journalists, 
        newspaper editors, and writers have informed their communities and 
        others in Arabic and English, adding to the body of United States 
        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, writier 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, NPR 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 Arab American Heritage Month 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 the United States society;
Whereas, in 2017, Arab America established National Arab American Heritage Month 
        (NAAHM), and President Biden recognized the celebration of National Arab 
        American Heritage Month in an April 19th, 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 National Arab 
        American Heritage Month in 2021;
Whereas at least 46 States and territories have taken steps to recognize April 
        as National Arab American Heritage Month, including the Governments of 
        Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, 
        the District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, 
        Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, 
        Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, 
        New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, 
        Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South 
        Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and 
        Wyoming;
Whereas numerous cities, towns, and counties across the United States have taken 
        steps to recognize April as National Arab American Heritage Month, 
        including but not limited to: Los Angeles, CA; Orange County, CA; San 
        Francisco, CA; San Diego, CA; Gainesville, FL; Orlando, FL; Atlanta, GA; 
        Chicago, IL; Cook County, IL; Baltimore, MD; Dallas, TX, Detroit, MI; 
        Wayne County, MI; Dearborn, MI; Dearborn Heights, MI; Flint, MI; 
        Yonkers, NY, Westchester County, NY; Raleigh, NC; Cuyahoga County, OH; 
        Cleveland, OH; Toledo, OH; Portland, OR; Philadelphia, PA; Dallas, TX; 
        Alexandria, VA; Richmond, VA; Milwaukee, WI; and Madison, WI;
Whereas 4 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;
Whereas, on March 31, 2023, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., proclaimed April 
        2023 as Arab American Heritage Month, becoming the first President to do 
        so, the proclamation read in part, ``Ours is a Nation shaped by the 
        immigrant's heart, and generations of brave and hopeful people from 
        across all countries, including from the Arab world, have woven their 
        unique heritages, customs, and talents into the tapestry of America.'', 
        the President continued, ``The United States is the only Nation in the 
        world founded on an idea--the idea that we are all created equal and 
        deserve to be treated equally throughout our lives. As a Nation, we have 
        never fully lived up to that promise, but we have never walked away from 
        it either. This Arab American Heritage Month, let us all strive to honor 
        our fundamental values and advance equity and opportunity for all 
        people, affirming once again that diversity is our country's greatest 
        strength.''; and
Whereas that the incredible contributions and heritage of Arab Americans have 
        helped 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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