By Yvette M. Alex-Assensoh
Just like many Americans, my initial exposure to Arab American people and their overall heritage came through the lens of the bedtime stories that my parents read to me. Then, as a teenager, I was enthralled by the voice and allure of Casey Kasem, whose impact on American culture in general was pivotal.
In fact, as a young adult, media images of the Arab world were often unflattering, especially after the 9/11 debacle. That is why I am so grateful for the gift of higher education and the opportunity that it provides to bring all of us into conversation with the beautifully complex history of Arab American people and their important contributions to American society.
To borrow from the words of Warren David, “Arab Americans are not a monolith—we are many voices shaped by different histories, cultures, and perspectives…yet we are one community, bound by shared values of family, resilience, contribution, and belonging.” Since 2021, the month of April has officially been proclaimed National Arab American Heritage Month. The 2026 theme—Many Voices, One Community —urges us to hold complexity with care, affirming unity without erasing difference. In essence, it is a call that resonates very deeply and well at the University of Oregon, where building community is something that we are learning to practice a lot more intentionally.
Arab American identity, like all living identities, encompasses a multiplicity of its own: different national origins, faith traditions, languages, political perspectives, and family histories of movement across national boundaries as well as centuries of citizenship in America. That, indeed, is the reason no single narrative can capture the fullness of Arab American life.
Oregon provides a meaningful context for our work in building community in ways that meaningfully include Arab American culture, traditions, and perspectives. In Oregon, Arab Americans, contribute diversely as teachers, healthcare workers, artists, entrepreneurs, students, and neighbors, thereby affirming place and purpose in the broader story of the State.
In April of 2026, we pause to recognize the vital role Arab American students, scholars, and alumni play in shaping the University of Oregon’s academic and cultural community. Through the Middle East and North Africa Studies as well as Arabic Studies’ minors, faculty and staff leadership across disciplines, and student engagement through the Arab Student Union, Arab American presence enriches learning, research, and creative expression across campus.
In observing Arab American heritage month, we encourage you to join our UO Arab Student Association’s Arab Heritage Month Celebration on April 14 in the Redwood Room of the EMU, which is expected to feature conversation, food, and live Arab music. Together with the achievements of such alumni as Aisha Almana (’70), Nadia Dahab (JD ’12), and Zeina Salame, these efforts reflect UO’s enduring commitment to global learning, connection, and inclusive excellence.
Meanwhile, the opening of the SWANAA Center, at the beginning of this year, marked a meaningful moment of recognition for South Asian, Southwest Asian, and North African students at the University of Oregon; it is so because many of them identify as Arabs. As a space that is open to all students, the center affirms research on Arab history, culture and contributions that make our campus a better place for all and sundry.
Given that coincidentally, April is also National Poetry Month, it is very appropriate to quote the words of Khalil Gibran, the 20th Century Arab American poet, who reminds us of the dignity of our shared humanity: “You are good when you walk to your goal firmly and with bold steps.” Gibran’s words re-echo the quiet courage required to claim space, to contribute authentically, in order to move toward community, even when the path is very uncertain."