OUSD Wishes Everyone a Happy Arab American Heritage Month

Dear OUSD Community,

On this first day of April, we wish everyone a happy Arab American Heritage Month. It’s important to take this opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the history, achievements, and legacy of Arab Americans, while also connecting with Arab American scholars here at OUSD.

While the Arab community is vibrant, it does not have a race category recognized by the federal government that represents them, and this makes it difficult to get an accurate count of Arab students enrolled in our schools. Through our efforts to advance racial equity, we have been able to disaggregate and account for approximately 1,400 OUSD students from Arab ethnic backgrounds and/or who come from Arabic-speaking families.

Watch the video above featuring Oakland-born and raised Sabria Hassan, our Arab American Targeted Student Intervention Specialist, to learn more.

We have curated a resource guide to help educators incorporate curriculum, books, and films with a culturally relevant lens that celebrates Arab American Heritage. We’re also resharing information and advice for educators on how to better support students during Ramadan which concludes on Tuesday, April 9.

• OUSD’s Arab American Heritage Month Resource Guide
• OUSD’s Ramadan Guide for School Administrators and Teachers

Hear directly from OUSD students about what Ramadan means to them in the video below.

The Office of Equity’s Arab, Asian, and Pacific Islander (AAPISA) programs will continue celebrating Arab American culture all month with community events including:

• Allendale’s Read-in with AAYSP, the week of April 15
• Castlemont’s Eid Cultural Celebration & Potluck, April 16
• Fremont High School’s Arab Culture Day, April 17
• Hoover’s Read-in with AAYSP, April 18
• Lockwood STEAM’s Read-in with AAYSP, the week of April 22
• The 6th Annual OUSD Arab American Honor Roll Ceremony, April 27. See flyer for details.

We encourage all students and staff to send your photos and a short narrative of how you are celebrating Arab American Heritage Month at your school to the email addresses below. Every opportunity to showcase what is happening at our school sites provides motivation and inspires more participation in future events. Be recognized for what you do! You can also share on social media with the hashtags: #OUSDArabs and #OUSDAAPISA.

For tips on how to acknowledge Arab American culture and to bring Arab American Student Excellence to your school community, please contact:

Sabria Hassan, Targeted Intervention Specialist, sabria.hassan@ousd.org
Munera Mohsin, Family Engagement Specialist, munera.mohsin@ousd.org