Arab American Heritage Month launch celebrates resilience and unity

During the Arab American Heritage Month launch event in Hahn Plaza on Monday afternoon, Zeina Kaibni, a junior at the USC Marshall School of Business, performed a personal poem in Arabic whose title translates to “Roots Grow, Branches Reach.” This was likewise the focus of the gathering, which examined how the Arab American narrative is intricately tied to a vibrant cultural legacy.

Speaker Nour Myra Geha — a senior at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and the event’s host — highlighted the endurance of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) individuals amidst difficulties spanning generations, from conflict to displacement.

“They still discovered means to sing, to construct, and to prosper,” stated Geha, co-founder and co-executive director of USC’s Middle Eastern North African Student Assembly (MENASA), which orchestrated the event.

Embodying that lively essence, the more than 400 Trojans attending the exuberant midday event participated in an interactive dabke performance, a Middle Eastern circular and line dance, presented by drummers and performers adorned in vibrant costumes. Participants also tasted both sweet and savory Arabic delicacies and cardamom-infused coffee, while having their hands embellished with intricate henna artistry by Keya Agarwal, a senior at USC Marshall.

Yehya Hamzeh, a master’s scholar at the USC Price School of Public Policy who attended the launch for the second consecutive year, had not planned to partake in the dancing. “I typically just stay back [on the outskirts] and clap to the tunes,” he mentioned. However, he found himself engrossed with fellow MENASA members in the circle of dancers at the heart of the plaza.

While Hamzeh valued joining hands with those sharing a similar heritage, he depicted the event as inviting to Trojans from diverse backgrounds: “We’re expressing, ‘Everyone come enjoy our culture, savor our food — and it will be a fantastic time.’”

Monday’s kickoff marks the first in a series of activities that will also feature a film night, dabke and falafel evening, and gala dinner.

A new global identity

The occasion’s
“`The keynote speaker was Lena Khouri, an entrepreneur based in Los Angeles who established Between East, an entertainment and media enterprise that honors MENA art, creativity, and culture.

Khouri embarked on her professional journey at Creative Artists Agency, the worldwide talent agency. She was taken aback by the lack of MENA representation in the entertainment sector and was troubled by the unfavorable depictions of these demographics in the media. “I initiated Between East to utilize the creative arts to unveil a new global identity about our people,” Khouri expressed, whose heritage is Palestinian and Jordanian.

She motivated the participants to harness their creativity to present MENA culture in ways that alter perceptions. The brands they create or the films and music videos they produce can “demonstrate the coolness of our culture … how delicious our food and traditions are, and who we are and how diverse we are,” Khouri stated.

The entrepreneur drew parallels between her experience creating Between East and the journey Geha and other students undertook to establish MENASA. In the fall of 2022, the organization was founded after the persistent efforts of 2023 graduate Anthony Khoory, Geha, and other dedicated Trojans persuaded the Undergraduate Student Government to recognize their club as an independent assembly, complete with funding, dedicated staff, and other resources associated with that designation.

Khouri pointed out that traditionally, the MENA community has not been afforded “a seat at the table” within American culture. “That scarcity mindset from our past generations has hindered our ability to work collectively,” Khouri remarked. “This new generation offers a chance to build something from the ground up [similarly to what MENASA has] accomplished here, to develop it, overcome all challenges, and press on.”

Roots on campus

The speaker, Katia Atiyah, a junior at USC Marshall, grew up in Washington, D.C., but her roots trace back to Lebanon and Jordan. She shared her experiences of visiting family from across the globe and incorporating their traditions into her American upbringing.

“I took my own spices to school because cafeteria food simply didn’t resonate as home,” Atiyah, who has been a member of the MENASA executive board for three years, shared. “I yearned to belong to a community where I didn’t have to justify my presence, where I could just exist and be appreciated.”

Atiyah expressed that she discovered that sense of belonging within MENASA, a community she has nurtured from its humble beginnings into a thriving organization with numerous expanding “branches.” The group organized its first Arab American event on the University Park Campus in 2022 with merely a $100 budget and personally prepared the baklava for the occasion. Today, the organization boasts over 1,500 active members and has orchestrated a variety of events, including an art exhibition, small-business marketplace, and community dinners.

“MENASA started as a whisper,” Geha, who was raised in Lebanon, declared. “It evolved into a voice and ultimately a movement.”

With the group’s foundation firmly established, “We strive to uplift every succeeding generation, particularly the freshmen now realizing they have a community on campus,” remarked Geha, who will graduate this May as the final founding member of MENASA.

Dima Al-Qaysi, a freshman at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering attending her first MENASA event, was inspired by Geha’s message of passing the baton. Enthusiastic about the dance performance and the Arabic coffee that connected her to her Iraqi heritage, she said, “I want to engage more with the community.”