National Arab American Heritage Month, April 2025
Departmental News
Posted: Apr 01, 2025 - 12:00pm
UNM celebrates National Arab American Heritage Month, April 2025. Click on the red links below for more information. Scroll down to read about events, the history of National Arab American Heritage Month, research, news and organizations.
UNM International Studies Institute
"The International Studies Institute (ISI) is an umbrella organization for the interdisciplinary undergraduate program in International Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of New Mexico. We currently offer a minor in International Studies and a Major in International Studies. In addition, we host the Contemporary Jewish Studies Lecture Series each spring and fall semester.
Vision: ISI's vision is to advance the understanding of global issues and other regions of the world- their peoples, cultures, developments, and challenges- including those that are of strategic and economic interest to the U.S
Mission: Serving the undergraduates and affiliated faculty of each program, our mission is to provide greater opportunities for the advancement and dissemination of knowledge about today's world of the UNM campus and throughout the state of New Mexico.
Goal: The goal of the Institute is to pursue broad-based initiatives such as coordinating lecture series and conferences, reaching out to secondary schools, and supporting an international and interdisciplinary study, research, and outreach programs.
ISI seeks to attract faculty with international experience, and develop relationships with local, regional, and global communities by supporting faculty and student exchange programs to all parts of the world." Learn more
UNM International Studies Institute Presents the 2025 Middle East Lecture Series
UNM Languages, Cultures and Literatures: Arabic Studies
"Arabic is a language with a rich intellectual and literary heritage, and has been a dynamic resource for political and cultural expression from pre-Islamic times to the present. Studying Arabic provides students with the skills to analyze a wide variety of political, social, religious, and cultural contexts from the Middle East and North Africa to Arab diaspora communities across the world. The UNM Arabic program offers courses at the elementary, intermediate, and advanced levels that focus on developing students' linguistic competence via culturally-situated contexts and cross-cultural comparisons." Learn more
UNM Language Learning Center
"The mission of the Language Learning Center (LLC) is to support all aspects of language learning at the University of New Mexico. We provide expertise, resources, and space for language classes...UNM offers language instruction in American Sign Language, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Navajo, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. These programs are housed in three departments: Languages, Cultures, & Literatures(LCL), Spanish & Portuguese, and Linguistics."
UNM Asian American Pacific Islander Resource Center (AAPIRC)
Mission Statement: The mission of the Asian American Pacific Islander Resource Center is to build a sense of belonging for students of Asian/Pacific Islander/Desi American Heritage during their studies at the University of New Mexico. AAPIRC also seeks to provide culturally relevant programs that cultivate Asian/Pacific Islander leaders within communities.
Vision Statement: The vision of AAPIRC is to provide a physical space where students are able to enrich college social experience and access state of the art student services, programs, research and educational opportunities without feeling the guilt of the “Model Minority Myth”. (Understanding College Student Subpopulations: Published by NASPA Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education)." Learn more
AAPIRC's Community Submission Based Blog
UNM Global Education Office
"We are a large service unit that facilitates international linkages, cultural exchange, global diversity, and the development of international expertise across all sectors of the university. GEO is responsible for international recruitment and admissions, creates opportunities to study and work overseas through exchange and education abroad programs, offers immigration, orientation and co-curricular advising services for international students and scholars who study and work at UNM, provides intensive English language programs at the intermediate to advanced level, and develops short-term certificate programs for adult learners."
UNM Study Abroad
"The University of New Mexico strongly endorses the nationally recognized need to promote global awareness of and sensitivity to multicultural issues in today's interdependent world. We invite you to browse this website for information regarding education abroad as well as available study, research, and internship programs."
Vist the Visitor Programs website for study abroad opportunities around the world
Events
April 1 3:30 PM The Middle East Lectures Series, 2025: Dr. Amit Sadan presents Environment, Migration, and Political Stability in the Middle East: Past and Present hosted by the UNM International Studies Institute; 3rd Floor Reading Room, Ortega Hall.
April 2 10 AM Dismantling Common Misconceptions and stereotypes about Arab Americans webinar, hosted by Oakland Community College.
April 8 3:30 PM The Middle East Lectures Series, 2025: Dr. Diane King presents “How Migration Shaped 1990s-2000s Iraqi Kurdistan” hosted by the UNM International Studies Institute; 3rd Floor Reading Room, Ortega Hall.
April 10 11 AM GMT Vegetarian Syrian Cookery Class with Amani webinar, hosted by Migrateful. Register in advance.
April 17 3:30 PM The Middle East Lectures Series, 2025: Dr. Saghar Sadeghian presents “Denied Citizens: Baha’is in the Post-1979 Revolution of Iran” hosted by the UNM International Studies Institute; 3rd Floor Reading Room, Ortega Hall.
April 22 3:30 PM The Middle East Lectures Series, 2025: Dr. Lior Sternfeld presents "The Jewish Exodus from the Muslim Middle East: Is 1948 rightfully taken as the breakpoint?” hosted by the UNM International Studies Institute; 3rd Floor Reading Room, Ortega Hall.
April 22 2 PM Inclusion Talk Series (Arab American Heritage Month) - Never Enough webinar, hosted by Compass Family Services.
April 29 3:30 PM The Middle East Lectures Series, 2025: Dr. Jessica Goodkind presents “Supporting Refugee Communities from the Middle East in Albuquerque” hosted by the UNM International Studies Institute; 3rd Floor Reading Room, Ortega Hall.
Ongoing: UNM Languages, Cultures and Literatures Arabic Club, Wednesdays 12-1 PM in the Language Learning Center Movie Room (Ortega Hall)
Arab American National Museum Digital Scrapbooks: Oral History Interviews
Arab American National Museum Featured Stories and Objects presented by AANM Staff
Arab American National Museum English-Arabic Storytime
Arab America: The Top Arab Podcasts You Should Listen To
Apple Podcasts: Arab American Podcasts
Arab America Foundation Blog
Merced College Arab American Heritage Guide: Podcasts & Poetry
You Tube Resources:
What countries speak Arabic?
The History of Arabic Calligraphy
Why We Need Arab American Heritage Month | NowThis
Here's how the month of April became Arab American Heritage Month
IOP Student Leaders Reflect on Arab American Heritage Month
Celebrating Arab American Heritage Month: The Power of AMENA Culture and Identity in Psychology
About National Arab American Heritage Month
“Arab American Heritage: Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future”
During the month of April, the Arab America Foundation formally recognizes the achievements of Arab Americans through the celebration of National Arab American Heritage Month (NAAHM). Across the country, cultural institutions, school districts, municipalities, state legislatures, public servants, and non-profit organizations issue proclamations and engage in special events that celebrate our community’s rich heritage and numerous contributions to society.
Arab America and the Arab America Foundation launched the National Arab American Heritage Month initiative in 2017, with just a handful of states recognizing the initiative. Each year, our grass-roots network of over 250 Arab American volunteers in 26 states gathers hundreds of proclamations from their states, counties, municipalities, and local school districts. If you would like to join a state team please contact Dr. Amal David.
The President of the United States recognized the month of April as National Arab American Heritage Month with a special commemorative letter to our organization. In 2022, Congress, the U.S. Department of State, and 45 state governors issued proclamations commemorating the initiative. Additionally, the following states have passed permanent legislation designating the month of April as NAAHM: Illinois; Oregon; Virginia; Indiana (Senate), and California." Learn more
Arab America Foundation
"The Arab America Foundation (AAF) is a non-profit (501c3) educational and cultural organization established in 2019. The mission of AAF is to promote the Arab heritage, educate Americans about the Arab identity, and to empower and connect Arab Americans with each other and with diverse organizations across the U.S. One hundred years ago, the Arab American writer, poet, and philosopher, Kahlil Gibran, created an organization known as Al Rabitah–The Connection. The movement engaged writers, journalists, and artists to promote and preserve the Arab Heritage. Tragically, the Al Rabitah movement ceased shortly after Gibran’s death. One hundred years later, we at AAF, inspired by Gibran’s dream, seek to continue his work to promote the Arab heritage." Learn more
Who Started the Movement for National Arab American Heritage Month? History and Legacy
Visit the Arab American Community Resource Website
Arab American Institute: Message from the President, Dr. James J. Zogby
"On March 31st [2023], President Joseph Biden issued a formal proclamation designating April as Arab American Heritage Month. That Mr. Biden took this step is significant, marking a turning point in our decades-long effort to secure recognition and respect for our community." Read the full statement
The Establishment of National Arab American Heritage Month: H.Res.1022 — 117th Congress (2021-2022)
The History of Arab American Heritage Month
"We estimate there are 3.7 million Arab Americans.
Arab Americans constitute an ethnicity made up of several waves of immigrants from the Arabic-speaking countries of the Middle East, North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa that have been settling in sizable numbers in the United States since the 1880s. As an ethnic community, Arab Americans can identify with any racial group and more than 85% are U.S. citizens.Their Arab heritage reflects a culture that is thousands of years old and includes 22 Arab countries as diverse as Palestine, Yemen, Sudan, and Morocco.
The majority of Arab Americans are native-born, and 85% of Arabs in the U.S. are citizens. While the community traces its roots to every Arab country, the majority of Arab Americans have ancestral ties to Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Palestine, and Iraq." Learn more at the Arab American Institute
The Arab American National Museum (AANM)
"The Arab American National Museum (AANM) is the first and only museum in the United States devoted to documenting and sharing Arab American contributions that shaped the economic, political and cultural landscapes of American life. The Museum also brings to light the shared experiences of immigrants and ethnic groups, paying tribute to the diversity of our nation. We tell the Arab American story through the voices and experiences of Arab Americans." Learn more
Arab Americans: History, Culture and Contributions
The Smithsonian Institute: Arab American History and Culture
"In 1962, Dr. Alixa Naff set out to tell the story of Arab immigrants from Syria and Lebanon. In addition to investigating an area that had received little scholarly attention, her use of oral history as the basis of the research was innovative. In 1984, Naff donated her collection including the oral histories, archival materials, and artifacts to the National Museum of American History. You can read about her inVoices from the past: Arab American Oral Histories and explore items from her collection and others related to Arab American history and culture from across the Smithsonian."
