From Titanic travelers to textile tycoons, Arab Americans have long been part of the American story

All About America explores American culture, politics, trends, history, ideals, and places of interest.

The term slacks was coined by an Arab-American to mean pants worn for relaxing activities. Lebanese immigrant Joseph Haggar founded the iconic Haggar menswear brand in 1926.

“He settled in Texas and started this pants company that was very successful in the 20th century,” said Diana Abouali, director of the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. “He also revolutionized the way pants and clothing were mass-produced.”

There is an exhibit at the museum dedicated to Hager, whose pants were worn by President Lyndon Johnson. The museum’s mission is to show how Arab Americans have been a part of American society since the late 19th century, and stories like Hager’s are an integral part.

“We use the voices of Arab Americans to convey the American narrative. They express their experiences in their own words,” Abu Ali said. “It gives people a more authentic understanding of what it means to be Arab American.”

The museum seeks to share the full spectrum of the Arab American experience, including the journey to the United States, home and work life, and service in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Diverse exhibits include exhibits about the hundreds of Syrian and Lebanese immigrants who had homes in North Dakota between 1890 and World War I. Thousands of descendants of these pioneers still live in North Dakota. Another exhibit includes the Arab-American passenger list from the Titanic, which sank in 1912.

The museum also challenges religious misconceptions.

“Half of the Arab-American community is Christian,” Abu Ali said. “In fact, the early immigrants who came in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were primarily Christian.”

The Wall of Fame highlights prominent Arab Americans such as journalist Helen Thomas, actress Kathy Najimy, and former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala Politicians such as Candace Lightner, who founded Mothers Against Drunk Driving in 1980.

The story of Arab immigrants is not well known in mainstream American society. What Americans know about Arabs tends to be negative stereotypes.

“The most obvious one is angry Arabs, terrorist Arabs, fear of Arabs coming from abroad. I think it’s a very obvious issue, but it’s a little overblown,” said the civil rights advocacy group America-Arab said Jasmine Hawamdeh, director of arts and culture at the Anti-Discrimination Council. “I think one of the more harmful stereotypes that exists in American media right now is that of oppressed Arab women.”

The museum seeks to correct false narratives about Arab Americans.

“We don’t always respond to misconceptions and narratives, although that is an important part of our work and the main motivation for creating a museum like this,” said Abu Ali, “but we also present ourselves to a certain extent, Because we are, unapologetic.”

Arab Americans are a diverse community, hailing from 22 Arab countries from North Africa to Western Asia. But once they settled in the United States, they became as American as the Arabs, the museum director said.