Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, June/July 2016, pp. 55

Arab American Activism

Gaithersburg Kids Showcase Their Arab American Heritage 

APRIL IS ARAB AMERICAN Heritage Month in Maryland, and the city of Gaithersburg goes all out to celebrate the community’s achievements. Gaithersburg’s Multicultural Affairs Committee, chaired by Samira Hussein, hosted an evening reception featuring presentations by students on April 11, at the Activity Center at Bohrer Park. 

Hussein introduced Mayor Jud Ashman as the mayor of the greatest city in the world. WalletHub, an online financial resource, ranked Gaithersburg as the most ethnically and racially diverse city in America in 2016. “We’re not without our challenges,” Mayor Ashman said, “as we strive to be as inclusive as possible across our cultural and economic differences, but our commitment to recognizing and embracing the contributions of all of our residents strengthens the fabric of this community, making Gaithersburg an awesome place to live.”

Students took the stage to present fun facts, art and photos showcasing their rich heritage in Lebanon, Palestine, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Sudan and other Arab countries. Children who attend the first dabke folkloric dance classes offered for Maryland’s elementary school-aged children showed the impressive results of six weeks of practice. They also sang a nursery rhyme in Arabic that caused many grandparents and parents to wipe away tears.  

This writer confesses that, while she was impressed by the performances, she was equally entertained by the parents in attendance, whose faces glowed with pride as they captured their children’s big moments with their cell phones and video cameras.

—Delinda C. Hanley