Arab American National Museum — Attraction in Dearborn

I visited this museum with my husband and mother-in-law on Sat. Jan. 6, 2024. We spent two hours there and did not even see all of it - we never got to the lower level or finished the second floor. There were only a few other people in the museum with us so we had lots of space. We learned so much.

There is so much interesting information. The first floor had great displays highlighting the history of Arab music, the development of writing, numbers, buildings, science discoveries and the three monotheistic religions. On the second floor, they have a changing map over the steps that shows you the early history of Arab nations, what countries are now considered Arab, associated, as well as North African. This was very helpful. There are lots of interesting displays on this floor highlighting Arab Americans and their contributions in music, business, charity, science, humanities, etc. (you must walk away from this museum able to list at least five famous Arab Americans if you could not before you went), then more on Arab cooking, Arab immigration to the United States, the problematic stereotyping of Arab Americans in the media, Arab Americans standing up, etc. Most of it is static displays that you have to read but they had some audio and video depictions.

I would highly recommend this museum for anyone interested in learning more about Arab Americans and plan to go back to see more. I did have some trouble with the small size and amount of text in the displays as I spent much of the two hours...

A must see for anyone interested in the journey of Arab Americans, an immigration story that dates farther back than most people think. The rotating exhibits, performances, and movie screenings are fantastic and pertain to current events. The permanent collection is text-heavy, so give yourself plenty of time. My favorite is the letters exchanged between a young Jordanian woman and her parents after she informs them she is in love with an American man and asks for their blessing in marriage. Read the Arabic original text if you can as it is heartwarming; the English translation is...

So impressed with the museum's recent programming. The quality of these events has been phenomenal -- consistently eye-opening, well-timed and with a strong community focus.

I can only assume that this is all the result of wise museum leadership, trusting their young staff members to take the lead on curating events and partnerships.

It seems like the museum is going through a "golden generation" moment right now and I really hope it lasts. Please do yourself a favor and...