Arab American Heritage Month

Arab American Heritage Month celebrates and recognizes the rich culture, history, achievements, and contributions of Arab Americans to the United States

Description & History

Arab American Heritage Month, observed in April, celebrates the culture, history, and contributions of Arab Americans to the United States. Initiated in 2017 by the Arab American Foundation and Arab America, the movement gained momentum, leading to Congressional resolutions introduced by Representatives Dingell and Tlaib in 2019. In 2021, President Biden officially recognized the month, acknowledging the vital contributions of Arab Americans. As of March 2025, several states, including Illinois, Oregon, Virginia, Indiana, and California, have permanently designated April as Arab American Heritage Month, with similar legislation pending in other states.

Professional Learning Resources

Arab America Foundation

Provides background of Arab American Heritage Month but also a great variety of resources including links about the vast diversity in Arab cultures and backgrounds as well as highlighting cultural events such as music and movies.

History: Arab American Heritage Month

Provides a history and background for Arab American Heritage Month including the history of the migration to America from their homelands and information about the recognition of Arab Americans Month.

Smithsonian: Arab American Heritage Month

In 1962, Dr. Alixa Naff began documenting Arab American immigrants from Syria and Lebanon, pioneering oral history research. In 1984, she donated her collection to the Smithsonian, preserving stories and artifacts of Arab American history and culture.

Arab American National Museum Educator Site

This resource features virtual galleries, K-12 Lesson Plans, English-Arabic Storytime links (ages 2-6) and a digital scrapbook.

Book List Template

Can be altered to reflect librarian’s library collection to celebrate Arab American Heritage Month.

Learner Engagement Resources

Arab American Heritage in the ELA Classroom

The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) provides a list of books, classroom resources, and lesson plans for integrating Arab American heritage into the ELA classroom.

Arab American Heritage Month Resource List

A site with articles, books, lesson plans, and links to webinars, videos, podcasts, movies and more.

Arab American Institute

A central hub for educational materials and events that celebrate the rich history and diverse contributions of Arab Americans to the US. It aims to foster understanding and combat misinformation through accessible information and community engagement.

PBS Celebrate Arab American Heritage Month

An article that provides resources to celebrate Arab American Heritage Month, featuring stories, documentaries, and educational content that highlight the diverse experiences and contributions of Arab Americans.

Poets.org

Created by the Academy of American Poets, offers a curated list of contemporary poems by Arab American poets, providing resources for educators to further explore their work and celebrate Arab American Heritage Month.

Book Lists

10 Books for Arab American Heritage Month from PBS

This 10 item collection features #OwnVoices authors with books reflecting various aspects of the Arab American experience in picture book through chapter book format. Features elementary and middle grade books.

Arab American National Museum

A list of the 2025 Arab American Book Award winners including children’s literature.

70 Books to Read for National Arab American Heritage Month--NAAHM

This collection highlights #OwnVoices reflecting on the Arab American experience for an adult audience.

Arabs and Arab Americans

From Social Justice Books, this collection can be be sorted by elementary, middle school, high school, adult, poetry, and learn more tags making it easy to navigate.

Chicago Public Library -- Arab American Heritage Month

This list shares fiction, graphic novels, and poetry by writers with ancestry from Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, and more.