Represent!

After reading Contemporary US Multicultural Perspectives, and in particular "Children of Al-Mahjar: Arab American Literature Spans a Century", what I came away with is a better knowledge and appreciation for just how prolific Arab American writing was at the turn of the 20^th century. What shocks me more is how little I heard of these writers and poets prior to college. I wanted to learn more about the voices of past and present Arab American writers, and I found one of the works of Ameen Rihani, "the father of Arab American literature" online. You can read his work, "The Book of Khalid", here.

Another voice that was mentioned in the Journal was that of Suheir Hammad, a contemporary poet and author of "Drops of This Story". I found a bit of her performing her poetry. Take a look:

 

It is a powerful performance that directly addresses the effects 9/11 had on her as an Arab American, born and raised in Brooklyn. It also ties in well with Bayoumi's "How Does it Feel to be a Problem", and the issue of coloring all Arab Americans with the same brush of terrorism.


Question: It has been over a decade since 9/11. Have relations with Arab Americans progressed or regressed? Have things stayed the same? What are some effective ways of combating Arab American stereotypes?