Around 50 students and faculty gathered around Tommy Trojan to dance, eat and celebrate the beginning of Arab American Heritage Month Monday afternoon. 

The Middle Eastern North African Student Assembly has organized an event to celebrate the start of Arab American Heritage Month for the past two years  since President Joe Biden gave the month of April that designation in 2021.

Attendees from all backgrounds joined professional dancers in a performance of dabke, a traditional Middle Eastern folk dance. Participants spun in a circle, hand in hand, as the music carried on.

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Jana Zatar, MENASA’s director of technology and a sophomore majoring in human biology, said MENASA put a lot of effort into organizing this year’s opening ceremony. 

“We started off with only just $100 and a mic last year, and now we have all these vendors and speakers and dancers coming out to be with us today,” Zatar said. “We worked really, really hard just so that we could represent the Arab community of USC.”

Monira Alkidim, the director of internal affairs for MENASA and a sophomore majoring in industrial and systems engineering, said the celebration felt like a home away from home.  

“[A] lot of Arab Americans and even Arabs internationally — they come to USC to find a home here,” Alkidim said. “To have the University recognize us and give us a whole month where we can celebrate our culture [and] our history is really important.” 

Provost Andrew Guzman, who replaced President Carol Folt as the ceremony’s opening speaker, said the University has around 900 MENA-identifying students. 

Other speakers, including Olympian Yusra Mardini and director Anthony Merchak, touched on their own connections to their Arab background and the importance of Arab representation. Merchak, in his speech, lamented stereotypical portrayals of Arabs in the media as “villains” and “terrorists.”

“This isn’t true. We have a rich and varied culture,” Merchak said. “This Arab American Heritage Month, let’s celebrate not only the successes of our community, but also the opportunity to reclaim our narratives and share the true richness of the Arab world with a global audience.”

Hadir Azab, a graduate student studying public policy who attended the event, said it was difficult finding her place at the University as an Arab American, especially during her time as an undergraduate. 

“It’s really nice to be able to be recognized,” Azab said. “It’s an opportunity for students to come together and be with people that understand and recognize them.” 

Zatar said she thought it was valuable to have people around her who share a similar culture.  

“I’m a first-generation American, with parents from Egypt,” Zatar said. “This really means a lot because I feel like I’m around people who are the same as me.” 

The kickoff ceremony will be the first of many events organized to celebrate Arab American Heritage Month. MENASA plans to host a Lamp Mosaic Workshop April 9 and a Henna Night April 16. MENASA’s next event, the MENA Art Exhibit, will begin Thursday at 11 a.m. at Argue Plaza.