Introduction
As an Arab American History Major, I have always been interested in the history of the Arab diaspora in the US. Since April is Arab American Heritage Month, I figured that it was the perfect opportunity to research and write about Arab America’s history and present. As such, I will be covering five notable Arab Americans in this article.
#1: Danny Thomas (1912-1991)
Danny Thomas was born in 1914 in Deerfield, Michigan. He was born under the name Muzyad Yakoob to Lebanese immigrants. Thomas was a famous actor and singer known for his roles in TV shows like The Danny Thomas Hour (1967-1968) and movies like I’ll See You in My Dreams (1951). He worked with other celebrities, such as Andy Griffith, another actor who was known for The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968).
Thomas also founded St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, which opened its doors in 1962. The hospital treated children with deadly diseases for free. The charity’s public support was greatly contributed to by Thomas, who used his star power to market the organization. As the founder of this charity, Thomas was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1980 and was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor by President Ronald Reagan in 1985. Thomas died in 1991 due to a heart attack. You can find a picture of him here.
#2: Steve Jobs (1955-2011)
Steve Jobs was born in 1955 to a Syrian father and a White American mother. He was born in San Francisco, California. He was given up for adoption as a baby and adopted by the Jobses, and he did not know who his biological parents were until he was twenty-seven. In 1974, Jobs got a job at Atari as a video game designer. In 1976, when he was 21, Jobs and his friend, Steve Wozniak, founded Apple. Jobs would leave Apple in 1985. Later that year, Jobs founded Next Inc. The company created an unsuccessful computer. However, the computer’s operating system, NeXTSTEP, was more popular and was used to develop video games, such as Doom (1993). NeXT Inc was bought by Apple in 1996. Jobs bought Pixar from George Lucas in 1986. When Pixar merged with Disney in 2006, Jobs became Disney’s largest shareholder. Jobs returned to Apple and became its CEO in 1997. During his second time working at Apple, the company released the MacBook Air, iPod, and iPhone. In 2011, Jobs died from cancer. If you want to see a picture of Steve Jobs, you can find one here. This photo was taken by Diana Walker in 1984.
#3: Paula Abdul (1962-)
Paula Abdul was born in 1962 in California to a Jewish and Syrian father and a Jewish and Canadian mother. She was born in San Fernando, California. Abdul started her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers. While cheering for a game, she was discovered by a band called The Jacksons. They were so impressed that they hired her as a choreographer. This started her career as a professional choreographer who worked on music videos, movies, and TV commercials. In 1988, Abdul released the album Forever Your Girl, and it reached No. 1 on Billboard’s list of 200 album sales chart for sixty-four weeks. In 2002, Abdul became a judge on American Idol. If you want to listen to Abdul’s music, you can find it here.
#4: Ralph Nader (1934-)
Ralph Nader is a consumer rights activist who was born in 1934 in Winsted, Connecticut, to Lebanese immigrants. Nader graduated from Princeton University with a degree in government and economics as magna cum laude in 1955 and would go on to graduate from Harvard University with a degree in law. Although he had already begun speaking out against corporations and advocating for consumer rights by then, Nader first became famous in 1965. That year, he released his book Unsafe at Any Speed, which advocated against the unsafe vehicles of the auto industry and gained him fame. He is seen as a founder of the consumer rights movement, and his work was crucial for the creation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Consumer Products Safety Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Freedom of Information Act. He ran and lost the election for President of the United States in 2004 and 2008 as the Green Party’s candidate. He also ran and lost the presidential race as an Independent candidate in 1996 and 2000. You can find a picture of Nader that was taken in 1976 here.
#5 Hoda Kotb (1964-)
Hoda Kotb is a TV host and newscaster who was born in 1964 in Norma, Oklahoma, to Egyptian immigrant parents. Kotb graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in journalism in 1986. She began her broadcasting career as a news assistant working for CBS in Cairo, Egypt, later that year. She then became a news anchor in New Orleans for WWL-TV between 1992 and 1998. In 1998, Kotb was hired by NBC. She became a host on Dateline NBC that year. During her time as host, she covered many important events. An example of her covering a famous and crucial event was her coverage of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath in 2005. Kotb became a host for Today in 2007, and the show’s ratings surpassed Good Morning America’s in 2017. Kotb has been awarded three Emmys. She earned one in 2010, another in 2011, and another in 2012. You can find news stories covered by Kotb here.