How Arab Americans Practice Resilience And How We Can Support Them
This video aims to spread awareness about both the existence and the importance of Arab American heritage month, providing insight into Arab culture, the ethnic group's place in America, and the history of the month. The primary speaker goes on to explain that April only became Arab American heritage month a couple years ago, and that so many Americans know so little about what being Arab even really is. Important takeaways all should know about Arab American culture are explained, such as the fact that not all Arab Americans are Muslim and that the religious diversity present within this population shouldn't be ignored, and tenets of Arab culture such as the importance of family and the cuisine they have offered into mainstream American culture. Many of the speakers in the video make mention of both the issues of Arab American discrimination and Arab American ignorance in America, as they advocate that Arabs must be far better understood and accepted.
NowThis News. (2020, April 4). Why We Need Arab American Heritage Month | NowThis [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VujZGldsUFI
In this research paper by Danielle Balaghi, Evelyn Oka, and Dorinda Carter Andrews, the researchers attempt to investigate how Arab American adolescents respond towards ethnic discrimination, a commonly documented occurrence in modern America. Structured interviews were utilized to collect data from 5 Muslim teenage males and 5 Muslim teenage females, with the results highlighting three positive and three negative ways the participants coped with perceived racial discrimination. They concluded that coping methods that had a positive impact included utilizing an active social media presence, self-preservation, and social support, whereas negative coping experiences included resignation, humor, and rationalization (Balaghi et al., 2021). This paper shows different ways Arab American teenagers practice resilience against discrimination in real life, and the study's data can help psychologists promote positive responses to racial discrimination while also helping adolescents recognize potentially negative responses.
Balaghi, D. & Oka, E. & Carter Andrews, D., (2021, December 15th) “Arab American Adolescents’ Responses to Perceived Discrimination: A Phenomenological Study”, Journal of Muslim Mental Health 15(2). doi: https://doi.org/10.3998/jmmh.131
This photo showcases Arab Americans protesting for their rights and recognition outside of the Trump hotel in Chicago. This photo exemplifies the countless Arab American advocacy protests that take place within our country that push against discrimination and appropriation. As many of the prior items have described, widespread ignorance and lack of recognition regarding Arab Americans are major hindrances to this population finding a fair footing within American society, so movements such as these help Arabs spread awareness for the sake of their communities. This specific photo is from an article that discusses how Arab Americans are advocating for their own identification option on the US census and other official documents, rather than the current "White" option in which they are encouraged to select. This is just one example of how Arabs are often overlooked in American society, and something many feel strongly about having changed.
Rezin, A. & Kang, E. Y. (2023, February 15). Study on Arab Americans in Chicago calls on not using ‘white’ as racial category. WBEZ Chicago. https://www.wbez.org/stories/chicago-area-arab-americans-face-stereotypes-invisibility/4deaeadb-257b-429b-8d2b-4a6e6114ed9f