Earlier this week, I went to lunch with my grandma. I had wanted falafel and she knew the best place to get that would be East Dearborn, which is home to a large Arab-American population. On our way back, we passed the Arab American National Museum, which until that moment, I did not know existed, and I was intrigued. I resolved to research and visit the museum soon. Thursday ended up being the final day for an exhibit showcasing some of Khalid Albaih’s political cartoons and so I made it a point to go and check it out.
Detroit’s Arab Connection
Many people say that Metro Detroit has either the largest population or the largest concentrations of Arabs outside of the Arab world or at least in the United States. While it is certainly true that there is a large Arab population in the Metro Detroit area, it is in actuality extremely difficult to actually quantify the number of people of Arab descent because the demographic of “Arab” has been poorly defined and has not consistently been a part of the Census Bureau’s survey.
The Arab World
The Arab World is much larger than what I had previously thought and is defined by usage of Arabic as a language, membership in the Arab League and a shared cultural history. What is not a defining factor of being a part of the Arab World is religion, ethnicity or skin color.
The countries that make up the Arab world are Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
As you climb the stairs to the second floor of the museum, an enormous map of Africa and the Middle East, bordered by the flags of Arab countries greets you and at the top of the stairs there is an interactive touch screen that allows you to explore more about each country on the map. There are also blocks with pictures of famous places and monuments in the various countries that are a part of the shared Arab cultures that you can lift and learn more about.
The Arab Contributions to the World
The first floor courtyard is home to the exhibit titled “Arab Civilization: Our Heritage” comprised of small glass cases around the perimeter of the courtyard and details a variety of areas of civilization that were either established in the Arab World or significantly advanced there, such as science, mathematics, medicine, architecture and decorative arts. There is so much to look at in this courtyard, even beyond the displays: the walls are covered with beautiful mosaics and there is an opening up to view the dome which is also intricately decorated.
Defining Arab-Americans and the Arab-American Experience
The second floor has three main exhibits: “Coming to America,” “Living in America” and “Making an Impact.” Each of these exhibits takes a very personal and intimate way of educating visitors about what it is like and what it means to be an Arab-American.
One of the interesting things that I learned in the “Coming to America” exhibit was that Arabs were also a part of the cross-Atlantic slave trade that took place through the 15th to 18th centuries. The earliest recorded Arab man to come to America came sometime in the 1500s and ended up becoming a free man and traveled across the continent and became a part various American Indian communities. The exhibit also detailed the various nationalities that had waves of immigration, the time periods when each wave was at its peak and the reasons behind the immigration, from the times of the slave trade through to the present day.
The “Living in America” exhibit detailed the lives that Arab-Americans lead here, from being what many would call assimilated to partaking in obvious outward markers of their heritage to what the media represents Arabs as among other things. There is also a really neat video of interviews with Arab-Americans asking them what that term meant to them and their identity.
The “Making an Impact” section seems to neatly parallel the exhibit on the first floor, though with a modern and more interactive twist. The room is visually sectioned off into various parts of culture, such as art, music, politics, activism, movies and business, and in each section there are the names and pictures of prominent Arab-Americans who have had major achievements or impacts in each area.
I was also impressed with the art collection that the museum had on display in addition to the political cartoon exhibit. One thing that I really liked was that many of the artifacts in each of the exhibit were personal donations to the museum, from suitcases that family members brought over to traditional dresses for a traditional dance.
Planning Your Visit
I would highly recommend taking a trip to this museum to learn more about a community that is still so often demonized, stigmatized and oppressed, openly and without apologies, in our country today.
The museum is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults and $4 for students and children. They are associated with the Smithsonian Institution and are accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. They are located at 13624 Michigan Avenue, Dearborn, MI 48126 and their phone number is (313) 582-AANM (2266). I would also recommend checking out their Web site to see what current exhibits they have as well as any upcoming events.