The thing I loved most about living in L.A. (more than the weather!) was living in a microcosm of everything that exists in the world. There is almost nothing anywhere on the planet that isn’t in Los Angeles in some way.
But cities can be diverse and still be incredibly segregated. That is true in L.A. as it was in the Bay Area when I lived there, too. One can see diversity visually and not really experience it. Lucky for me, I was a union rep for public sector employees. Civil service is a rare circumstance where recruiting and hiring doesn’t depend on social networks. In civil service, people take exams to get placed by their score on a list and are hired from the top rankings, so it isn’t so demographically self-reinforcing. The workforce can actually reflect the diversity of its population.
One of the great blessings of my life is that for twenty years I got to work every day with people from all over the world. I learned all kinds of things vicariously. And I truly got to build real relationships with hundreds of people, seeing them consistently over the years, coming to know and appreciate them, building a shared history, having conversations, enjoying rapport, creating solutions to challenges. It is possible. Hell, it’s easy! It’s fun! I have lived it.
The Arab American National Museum opened in 2005 and is the only museum in the United States devoted to Arab American history and culture. It is affiliated with the Smithsonian.
This is a very long and text-heavy post, but it is truly fascinating to read – particularly the history of immigration, and all of the pushes and pulls to do it at different times. Enjoy it!
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- Architecture! Under the Museum’s dome.
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- Oh, the tiles, the tiles… Swoon!
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- From the Contributions of the Arab World courtyard
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- From the Contributions of the Arab World courtyard
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- From the Contributions of the Arab World courtyard. This panel featured Medicine, others featured Mathematics, Astronomy, Literature, Politics…
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- From the Contributions of the Arab World courtyard. Architecture (natch!)
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- From the Contributions of the Arab World courtyard – Music
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- From the Contributions of the Arab World courtyard – Music
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- From the Contributions of the Arab World courtyard – Visual Arts
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- From the Contributions of the Arab World courtyard – Religion
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- From the Contributions of the Arab World courtyard – Religion
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- From the Contributions of the Arab World courtyard – Religion
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- From the Contributions of the Arab World courtyard – Religion
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- Arab World Map
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- From the Coming to America hall
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- From the Coming to America hall
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- From the Coming to America hall. 1800s
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- From the Coming to America hall.
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- From the Coming to America hall. (Sorry this one is so blurry!)
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- From the Coming to America hall. 1800s
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- From the Coming to America hall.
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- From the Coming to America hall.
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- From the Coming to America hall.
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- From the Coming to America hall.
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- From the Coming to America hall.
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- From the Coming to America hall.
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- From the Coming to America hall.
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- From the Coming to America hall.
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- From the Coming to America hall.
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- From the Coming to America hall.
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- From the Coming to America hall.
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- From the Coming to America hall.
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- From the Coming to America hall.
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- From the Coming to America hall.
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- From the Coming to America hall.
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- From the Coming to America hall.
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- A special, temporary exhibit. See the following photos.
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- Exterior
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- Interior of one: “This is a spiritual portrait of a Saudi woman who decided to take charge of her life. Always thinking that God is by her side. She came to the U.S. to study, crossing social and financial obstacles. She loves pink, Tinkerbell and math.
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- See the following photo
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- Her hair is arranged in a series of hearts around her head!
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- From the Living in America hall
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- From the Living in America hall
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- From the Making an Impact hall There were many prominent Arab Americans in the areas of science, economics, arts, politics, etc. Many I was not familiar with, but a few… Ralph Nader, Donna Shalala, John Sununu, Danny Thomas, Kathy Najimy, Jamie Farr…
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- See the next photo
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- “Ahlan wa sahlan” 2017
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- See the next photo
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- “World Peace” 2003
