Anti-Racism Resources: April 2024 — Arab American Heritage Month
Each month, we feature educational resources in the NAAFA Newsletter to support our community in working to dismantle systemic racism. These resources are also shared on our social media, blog, and website. Resources vary from month to month, and may include historical information, tools for personal reflection, or information about how to get involved and make change. Many of the resources we suggest will be introductory resources, and this information is never intended to be full coverage on the complex and nuanced topics that are chosen each month. We encourage you to continue learning, and we especially hope you will seek out and support scholars, artists, creators, and activists who represent the communities most impacted by the topic of the month.
This month we invite you to join us in exploring resources about Arab American Heritage Month.
There’s a Palestine readathon on TikTok right now (Pages-4-Palestine-Readathon) so in that spirit, here are a few books and authors to check out:
Saara El-Arifi is a fabulous fantasy author. She has released two-thirds of The Ending Fire Trilogy, which is a fantasy with settler colonists grappling with their impact. She also has a new book out Faebound, the beginning of a new trilogy.
Rifqa is a book of poetry by Mohammed El-Kurd
S. A. Chakraborty is a white American who converted to Islam, but her works are set in Egypt and draw heavily on Islamic lore and Arabic history
Power Born of Dreams: My Story is Palestine by Mohammad Sabaaneh is like a long poem illustrated as a graphic novel. It’s a very quick read, but introduces the political prisoner issue.
Joe Sacco is an American who invented the genre of graphic journalism, and his book Palestine is a great introduction to the area and subtly grapples with his/our role as Americans reading about suffering we'll never have to experience
No Land to Light On by Yara Zgheib
Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed
Here are some TV shows featuring Arab-Americans - they might be a good entry point for those looking to learn more about this topic:
Mo - comedy-drama on Netflix. 1 season, 2022. Tells the story of Mohammad "Mo" Najjar, a Palestinian refugee living in Houston, TX and his family who are seeking asylum and citizenship in the US. Stars comedian Mo Amer. Worth watching. (TW: there is one episode that features a character that is a fat black diabetic amputee.)
Mo Amer: Mohammad in Texas - 2021 Netflix standup comedy special.
Mo Amer: The Vagabond - 2018 Netflix standup comedy special.
Ramy - comedy-drama on Hulu. 3 seasons, 2019-2022. Stars Ramy Youssef and Mo Amer. About a first generation Muslim-American's experiences living in suburban New Jersey.
Check out these additional resources to learn more:
Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium (MAEC) put together this Arab American Heritage Month Resource List which includes articles, books, podcast, movies, and more!
NYC Public Schools published this resource list on Arab American Heritage Month. This includes history, reading lists targeted for different age groups, resources for educators, and more.
NC State University Libraries created this reading list.
The George Washington University Office for Diversity, Equity & Community Engagement offers these Resources on Arab, Muslim and Middle Eastern Communities.
The Arab American Museum offers a Virtual Tour Package for an immersive experience.
