voted to Arab Americans in Michigan, waves of Arab immigrants prior to the mid-1960s tended to restrict celebrations of ethnicity in favor of assimilation. However, as the exhibit notes, the case from then until now is distinctively changed:
Before the 1965 influx of Palestinian, Iraqi, Yemeni, and South Lebanese immigrants to Detroit, the cityÆs Arab community avoided calling attention to itself. Celebrations of ethnic identity were confined largely to weddings, church and mosque events, family observances of religious holidays, and other intimate occasions. However, American culture has change and multiculturalism has become a model. New immigrants energized ethnic pride and transformed neighborhoods in Dearborn, Detroit, and Southfield into bustling centers of Arab life and commerce(Community, 1999, p. 2).
We will now take an in-depth look at the Arab American culture in Michigan, particularly those in Dearborn and Detroit, to more fully understand this unique American subculture.
The wave of immigrants at the turn of the century in places like Dearborn and Detroit often melded into the burgeoning class of immigrant workers in American factories. The booming Industrial Revolution and tycoons like Henry Ford offered ready employment to immigrants. Arabs were no different. According to Rignall (2003), the auto industry not only transformed MichiganÆs economy but it ôrestructured the burgeoning Arab-American communityö (p. 3). Along with the auto industry the neighborhoods in the Dearborn area evolved. In house mainly built by the Ford Motor Company, many Arab Americans lived in Dearborn and worked in the Ford factories. However, like current waves of Arab immigrants those who did find employment often worked in environments that were dangerous and rife with racism. As Rignall (2003) maintains, ôThough they received work with Ford and others they still suffered the effects of discrimination in the daily operat...