NPS Celebrates Arab-American Heritage Month 2026

The Norwalk Board of Education is proud to recognize and celebrate the month of April as Arab-American Heritage Months.

The National Arab-American Heritage Month initiative was launched in 2017 by the Arab America Foundation. Arab-American Heritage month honors the rich history, diversity, and enduring contributions of Arab Americans across the United States. The 2026 theme, “Many Voices, One Community,” reflects the breadth of Arab American identities while affirming the shared values that unite the community.

Co-founders Warren and Dr. Amal David chose the month of April for several reasons, first being they didn’t want to take away from other minority community heritage months or to conflict with summer vacations, graduations or the start of school. The second and most important reason according to the Davids was for symbolic purposes of April, which marks the beginning of the Spring season. It also symbolizes hope, growth, color, and new beginnings.

The Arab American Institute estimates 3.7 million Arab-Americans live in the United States. They constitute an ethnicity made up of several waves of immigrants from the Arabic-speaking countries of the Middle East, North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa that have been settling in sizable numbers in the United States since the 1880s.

Arab-Americans’ heritage reflects a culture that is thousands of years old and includes 22 Arab countries as diverse as Palestine, Yemen, Sudan, and Morocco. The majority of Arab Americans are born in the U.S., and 86% of Arabs in the U.S. are citizens. While the community traces its roots to every Arab country, the majority of Arab Americans have ancestral ties to Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Palestine, and Iraq.  

Throughout April, the Norwalk Board of Education proudly celebrates the Arab-American community in our schools and our city and invites everyone in the Norwalk community to take a moment to learn more about this vibrant culture and their significant contributions to our nation.