This report was created by ACCESS, the largest Arab American community nonprofit in the nation, as a product of its Arab American Research Initiative to secure better data on the national community.

Arab Americans are remarkably diverse, living in rural and metropolitan areas. Some are upper and middle class, whereas others are struggling workers with limited incomes. Some Arab Americans are born in this country to American-born parents and grandparents and have a limited knowledge of the Arabic language; others are recent immigrants who are fluent in Arabic but speak little English.

A look at the many customs and traditions of Arab Americans.

Series of weekly Instagram Takeovers by different Arab American chefs, demonstrating delectable Arabic recipes.

The United States is home to more than 3.5 million Arab Americans representing a diverse array of backgrounds, cultures and traditions. Like their fellow citizens, Americans of Arab heritage are very much a part of the fabric of this nation, and Arab Americans have contributed in every field and profession.

Estebanico Azemmouri, a Moroccan man, landed in the United States of America in 1527, and Antonio Bishallany who immigrated from Lebanon became the first member of a community today known as “Arab Americans.” This is the story of Arab Americans’ beginning in America – and the origins of their quest for fair representation.

Arab Americans can trace their origins to 22 Arabic-speaking countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Yet on records such as the census and even on medical paperwork, US society tends to see this dimension of diversity with little nuance – when it sees it at all.

In 1962 Dr. Alixa Naff set out to tell the story of Arab immigrants from Syria and Lebanon. In addition to investigating an area that had received little scholarly attention, her use of oral history as the basis of the research was innovative.

The Arab American News serves the diverse Arab American community. We showcase news and features from all over the Arab World, including social, political, cultural and religious themes.