Assembly Resolution No. 1136

BY: M. of A. Sayegh

MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim
April 2026, as Arab American Heritage Month in the
State of New York

WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is proud to memorialize Governor
Kathy Hochul to proclaim April 2026, as Arab American Heritage Month in
the State of New York, in conjunction with the observance of National
Arab American Heritage Month; and

WHEREAS, For more than a century, Arab Americans have been making
valuable contributions to every aspect of American society in medicine,
law, business, technology, civic engagement, government, and culture;
and

WHEREAS, New York State is home to over 300,000 Arab Americans,
making it the third most populated state of Arab Americans in the
country; and

WHEREAS, New York State is home to major Arab American communities
including Lebanese, Palestinian, Egyptian, Jordanian, Iraqi, Syrian,
Moroccan, Yemeni, and Sudanese neighborhoods that have been woven into
the fabric of New York State's history and culture; and

WHEREAS, Arab Americans have brought with them to America their
resilient family and traditional values; they promote community-oriented
hospitality, support interfaith dialogue, and peaceful coexistence; and

WHEREAS, Arab Americans are dedicated to education, respect for
diversity, faith, and creed; they empower our state and national
economies through their hard work, business development, and commitment
to democracy; and

WHEREAS, Many Arab Americans are unable to return to their
homelands, often leaving behind friends and family under the threat of
war, occupation, and unrest; and

WHEREAS, Arabs and Arabic speaking individuals have been brought to
or have immigrated to America since the 1600s and have been integral in
shaping the immigrant identity of New York State; and

WHEREAS, The first known Arabic speaker to come to North America,
Mustafa al-Zammouri, arrived as an enslaved person from Morocco in 1528,
and was an important explorer of the present-day American Southwest; and

WHEREAS, Writer Ameen Rihani's 1911 masterpiece, "The Book of
Khalid," the first Arab American novel, is an important record of Arab
immigration to the community of "Little Syria" in Lower Manhattan; and

WHEREAS, Lebanese-American poet Khalil Gibran's masterpiece, "The
Prophet," was a transformative piece of literature, with over one
hundred translations, making it one of the most translated books in
history; and

WHEREAS, Palestinian-American academic scholar Dr. Edward Said was a
fixture of New York intellectual life and the author of the landmark
work "Orientalism," a postcolonial study of Western imperialism in Asia,
North Africa, and the Middle East; and

WHEREAS, According to Census Bureau data, Arabic is one of the
fastest-growing languages in the United States; and

WHEREAS, There is a need for public education, awareness, and
policies that are culturally competent when describing, discussing, or
addressing the impacts of being Arab American in all aspects of American
society and Western civilization; and

WHEREAS, The incredible contributions and heritage of Arab Americans
have helped us build a better nation; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim April 2026, as Arab
American Heritage Month in the State of New York; and be it further

RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New
York; The Arab American Association of New York in Bayridge, Brooklyn;
The Arab American Institute in Washington, D.C.; and the American-Arab
Anti-Discrimination Committee in Washington, D.C.