Friend,

It's pouring rain in DC but my day is lit up by the joy you made possible this Arab American Heritage Month. In the spirit of continuing the celebration through this final day of Arab American Heritage Month, I want to recap some highlights.

For the first time ever, the White House released a presidential proclamation officially honoring April as Arab American Heritage Month. You can find it by clicking here [[link removed]] . Following the White House's lead, many states, localities, and corporations officially marked the month making 2023 one of the largest commemorations since our community began working towards it in the 1980s. We've been collecting many of this year's recognitions and would love to hear from you directly on how your community, school, city, or company celebrated this month. So please share.

[[link removed]]

Yesterday, a diverse group of Arab American leaders from across the country were invited to the White House. The group was briefed by Ambassador Susan Rice, Director of the Domestic Policy Council and Administrator Richard Revesz of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. We were also joined by Arab Americans serving in the Biden Administration and other prominent officials from the Department of Justice, Education Department, State Department, National Security Council, and the Department of Homeland Security. These were substantive briefings, with thoughtful and difficult questions and answers on the issues you care most about. While at the White House, we shared the latest AAI poll numbers from our community with Administration officials. In the poll, AAI asked about policy priorities, identity, discrimination, and First Amendment issues. You can find the full results here: [link removed] [[link removed]]

For our final profile of the month, AAI is focusing on Arab American Music Journalist, Danny Hajjar. Click here [[link removed]] to read his story. You can enjoy all our profiles and more Arab American Heritage Month content by clicking here [[link removed]] .

Finally, with your help, thousands of comments were submitted in support of adding a MENA category to the census and other federal forms by yesterday’s deadline. Rest assured we will continue our efforts until the final recommendations are issued next summer and beyond as we build toward the 2030 Census but in advance of that, I wanted to share with you the formal comment we submitted [[link removed]] .

There's a lot to be proud of in being Arab American. I hope you enjoyed the month as much as I did and I do hope you will share your celebrations and all the ways you marked the month with us.

Thank you for making this time so special.

Maya

[link removed] [[link removed]]



The Arab American Institute is a national civil rights advocacy organization that provides strategic analysis to policy makers and community members to strengthen democracy, protect civil rights and liberties, and defend human rights. AAI organizes the 3.7 million Arab Americans across the country to ensure an informed, organized, and effective constituency is represented in all aspects of civic life.

Arab American Institute Foundation
1600 K Street, NW, Suite 601
Washington, DC 20006
United States
unsubscribe: [link removed]