UCLA experts say it’s a positive step, but overcoming stereotypes will require more work
UCLA Delan Bruce |
April 29, 2021
On April 1, the U.S. Department of State for the first time announced it would formally recognize April as Arab American Heritage Month. Ned Price, spokesman for the State Department, noted that the contributions of Americans of Arab heritage to the nation are “as old as America itself.”
Though celebrated for years in many communities and schools, the federal government has yet to formally acknowledge the observance. On April 26, Michigan congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Debbie Dingell introduced the Arab American Heritage Month Resolution. The two were among a quartet of representatives who introduced a similar bill in April 2020.