“Arab American Labor” digital humanities project

27 August 2024 – Bailey Brown and Lindsey Waldenberg

Arab Americans, labor, Immigration, project showcase, Digital humanities

As part of its mission to share the history of the Lebanese diaspora in the United States and beyond, the Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies (KCLDS), based at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina, is dedicated to researching, preserving, and promoting the history and culture of Lebanese immigrants and their descendants worldwide. Although KCLDS primarily focuses on Lebanese studies, many of its digital humanities projects consider the broader population of Arab Americans who may identify with other Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) cultures and locales.

A sepia-toned group portrait of the members of Ford Local 600 gathered in a room with ornately decorated walls. There are over fifty men in this photo. A man near the back holds a sign which reads, "Ford Local 600, Spring Upset, Joseph Twitman, Thomas Sporwart, William Furguson, John McMillan, Joe Carli, John Serra." Several of the members wear ties emblazoned with "600" or garrison caps decorated with pins, or medals. A small stenciled sign reading, "Buy war bonds to bomb Berlin," is hung along the back wall. Banners painted with images of workers involved in wartime production are hung along the wall as well, along with signs that read, "Union Workers Committee for War Transformation," and "Labor Management Committees."

Spring meeting of United Auto Workers Local 600, Dearborn, Michigan, in 1941. 2012.044.625, Industrial History Collection, Detroit Historical Society.

In the autumn of 2023, KCLDS published a digital humanities project on Arab American labor. Inspired by the work of scholars such as Neama Alamari, Mary Bisharat, Jonathan Friedlander, Stacy Fahrenthold, and Ron Kelley, as well as primary sources and individual stories, the digital exhibit discusses the lives and labor of the Arab American working class in the early twentieth century. Developed by a team of NC State graduate students and KCLDS director Dr. Akram Khater, the project aims to disrupt mainstream American labor myths by highlighting Arab American workers’ impact on US history. “Arab American Labor” invites the audience to move beyond the prevalent, one-dimensional narrative of Arab immigration and engage with the rich diversity and complicated realities of immigrant experiences.

This project comprises five parts, each of which explores how Arab Americans worked in and contributed to different US industries in various parts of the country. Part one of this series underscores the physical, economic, and organizing challenges faced by Arab American miners in various US communities between 1890 and 1935. Part two documents the working lives of New York City seamstresses (1870–1930) to highlight women and children’s contributions to Arab American labor. Part three traces Arab American auto workers’ integral role in the US automobile industry in Detroit (1910–1970), while part four explores the history of Arab American performers from the early nineteenth century through today. Finally, part five considers the activism of Yemeni laborers working on California farms between 1960 and 1970.

“Arab American Labor” uses ArcGIS StoryMaps as its platform. Beyond telling a narrative, StoryMaps enables KCLDS to include dynamic, interactive elements designed to enhance historical understanding, such as maps, videos, and images. Educators, history enthusiasts, and anyone interested in the intersection of MENA migration and US labor history are encouraged to view and use these materials. KCLDS has since published project-based educational materials for secondary school teachers to use in their classrooms. These pedagogical materials draw from project sources to explore how labor narratives have shaped perceptions of Arab Americans as historical actors.

This project addresses Arab American laborers’ widely unacknowledged struggles to become a part of the United States and support their families despite racial animosity, economic turmoil, and a quickly evolving industrial landscape. “Arab American Labor” represents just one of KCLDS’s many efforts to preserve and share the stories of the Arab diaspora in the United States and beyond. You can learn more at lebanesestudies.ncsu.edu.

~ Bailey Brown (outreach coordinator) and Lindsey Waldenberg (director of research) are affiliated with the Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies (KCLDS), based at North Carolina State University. Through interdisciplinary research, public outreach, and educational initiatives, the center serves as a platform for the exploration and celebration of the Lebanese diaspora’s diverse experiences.