Coming to America

The brightly tiled façade along a nondescript stretch of Dearborn’s Michigan Avenue drew my attention as I looked for the Arab American National Museum (AANM). The museum was one of the very few museums in the area I’d yet to visit, and a day that vacillated between rain and stifling humidity seemed like a perfect time to spend an afternoon exploring in air conditioned comfort behind the blue-tiled façade.

A multiculti stew of diverse populations call the Detroit area home, but at 30,000 strong, Dearborn Michigan’s Arab American population comprises approximately one third of that city’s total population of nearly 100,000, making it one of the largest concentrations of citizens of Arabic ancestry or ethnic origin in similarly sized U.S. cities.

It makes sense then, that Dearborn is the perfect home for the nation’s first museum dedicated to the history, culture and contributions of Arab Americans.

The AANM focuses on the story of the immigrant experience. It brings stories of the passage to America, families left behind and the struggles of embracing a new home to life with recorded oral histories and thoughtfully arranged displays. Displays featuring recreations of the stages where these immigrants’ lives played out offered a particularly intimate glimpse into their lives. I felt a voyeuristic jolt when I walked into displays resembling migrant workers’ quarters, a family kitchen, a university student's dorm or a doctor’s office, while learning the history of Arab Americans who lived and worked in such spaces.

Opened in 2005, the 38,500-square-foot museum features a grand Community Courtyard with a domed ceiling soaring three stories overhead, a large fountain and Arabic architectural details like ornately decorated display cases and intricately tiled walls. Even as the museum draws an estimated 50,000 visitors each year, numerous windows flooding the space with light, and the intimate tone of the stories told there, made the experience seem more warmly personal than other museums I’ve visited.

The AANM celebrates the diversity of an Arab American population drawn from more than 20 countries and a variety of religious, educational, work backgrounds and viewpoints, while displaying the population’s shared cultural heritage and history.

The museum also emphasizes the success stories of Arab Americans and their contributions to American society. I knew about the Arab American backgrounds of people like journalist Helen Thomas, comedian Danny Thomas, actor Jamie Farr and disc jockey/voice actor Casey Kasem (all who have strong Michigan or Ohio connections as well) , but the list of well-known Arab Americans held a few surprises for me, like Dick “King of the Surf Guitar” Dale.

Temporary exhibits the day I visited the museum included a display of work of abstract artist Sari Khoury and a collection of photos from Detroit’s Concert of Colors, an annual summer diversity music festival.

Visiting the museum proved to be a great way to learn about the rich tapestry of Arab American lives, culture and history, while beating the summer heat.

© Dominique King 2008

Comments

[marsha mcgregor]

Congratulations on the excellent blog, Dominique!! Marsha McGregor (Ohio)

[k.a.t.calvin]

Hi Dominique! Thanks for visiting my blog! I have been dying to visit this museum since I first got to Ann Arbor, it's definitely on my list for this year. I'm glad I discovered your blog, now that I've finished my first year of law school I can start looking for fun things to do in Michigan that don't involve the library!

k.a.t.calvin
www.bapworld.com

[Dominique]

Thanks for checking this out, Marsha.

I'll have some more Ohio articles posted in coming weeks!

[Dominique]

Kat-

The museum was definitely worthwhile. Meanwhile, check out the post I'm uploading tomorrow--a story about our mean at an East Indian restaurant and a visit to an Arabic bakery, both quite near the AANM.

Thanks for stopping by!

[Janey Davis]

Hi Dominique!Greetings from Ohio! I was so happy to get your blog address via Sally. I always enjoy your writing. Maybe someday you'll post your Graceland piece. We are
all busy, especially Amy (she retired you know!) If you are ever coming to the Canton area let us know and we can get together (and NOT go to the Hall of Fame).
Janey

[Dominique]

Janey-Thanks for stopping by! Say 'hi' to everyone down Canton way.

I'm doing some more Ohio articles soon for sure...I'll have to think on the Graceland thing :)