OUSD Wishes Everyone a Happy Arab American Heritage Month

Here in 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 in OUSD.

While the Arab American community is vibrant, it does not have a race category that represents them recognized by the federal government, and this makes it difficult to get an accurate count of Arab American students enrolled in our schools. Through our efforts to support 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.

Here are some students and a staff member who share their thoughts about the significance of this heritage month and the importance of recognizing Arab American identity, culture, and contributions within our schools and beyond.

Zaynab Elbgal 10th Grader, Oakland High "Arab American Heritage Month is especially important to me because in the past, Arab Americans have been pushed aside as if our culture and heritage weren’t important enough. We are backbones in the community, and our culture should be shared alongside everybody else’s."

Adam Alawdi 9th Grader, MetWest High School "Arab American Heritage Month is important because it lets us celebrate our culture, history, and contributions beyond stereotypes, showing the world who we truly are."

Amber Abugharbieh Counselor, Coliseum College Prep Academy "Arab American (or Middle Eastern and North African or MENA) Heritage Month to me is my wildest dreams come true. Growing up being Arab can feel like you’re invisible because there isn’t really a box for you to check and many people aren’t exposed to your culture. I remember telling people my family is from Falasteen (the Arabic word for Palestine) and them asking what and where is that. There is no better time than now to highlight Arab voices."

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

• Hoover’s Read-in with AAYSP is April 11
• Allendale’s Read-in with AAYSP is the week of April 16
• Castlemont’s Eid Cultural Celebration & Potluck is April 16
• Fremont High School’s Arab/SWANA Culture day is April 17
• CCPA’s MENA Cultural Celebration is April 18
• Lockwood STEAM’s Read-in with AAYSP is the week of 28th
• The 7th Annual OUSD Arab American Honor Roll Ceremony is May 3. See this flyer for details.

We have curated a resource guide to help educators incorporate curriculum, books, and films with a culturally relevant lens that celebrates Arab American Heritage.

• OUSD’s Arab American Heritage Month Resource Guide

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

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

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
• Munera Mohsin, Family Engagement Specialist

We wish everyone a happy Arab American Heritage Month.