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“Mom, check our number,” said a young Egyptian boy to his mother.
His mother, who had “lost hope” after 17 years of applying for the Diversity Visa Lottery in Egypt to be able to immigrate to America, did not want to check. Year after year she looked at the list and the same word always came up, “Denied”.
However, the boy had a feeling that something was different this time, and after 20 minutes of begging his mother to look at the status of the lottery, she finally gave in.
“APPROVED.”
Both the boy and his mother couldn't believe their eyes, their family was going to America.
Airman 1st Class Abanoub Eshak, a 1st Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron heating, ventilating, and air conditioning journeyman, recounted how his journey of becoming an Arab American started.
“I wanted to come to America to pursue a better life,” said Eshak.
America has the long lasting nickname of being a ‘Melting Pot’, due to it being made up of immigrants from all over the world.
As a result the United States has established various heritage months throughout the year to celebrate different cultures. The Air Force highlights the diversity of our Airmen through these months by spreading awareness of what these heritages and cultures mean.
In the month of April, Arab American Heritage Month is celebrated to highlight Arab Americans and educate others on the history of their contributions to American History.
“I am proud of my roots and upbringing,” said Eman Eshak, Abanoub Eshak’s mother. “I want to stress the importance of the contributions that Arab Americans have made for western society.”
Arab Americans constitute an ethnicity made up of several waves of immigrants from the Arabic-speaking countries of the Middle East, North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. Arab is a cultural and linguistic term and refers to those who speak Arabic as their primary language.
“I think it’s important to recognize Arab American Heritage Month because it’s crucial to educate people on different cultural backgrounds,” said Eshak. “We’re a minority, so it feels good to be acknowledged.”
The heritage month was created in 2017 as an initiative in a handful of states and cities. However, its recognition has expanded over time. In April 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden issued a proclamation officially acknowledging Arab American Heritage Month.
While the celebration of the Heritage Month is fairly new, the history which it commemorates dates back years.
“I never want to force my culture or traditions on anyone, but I will share my story and the Arab history with anyone that would like to learn,” said Eshak.
Eshak continued that he will always practice his values and traditions in order to not lose that part of himself, while also learning more about American culture.
“America has given me so much,” said Eshak. “I just want to give back by serving.”
| Date Taken: | 04.10.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 04.15.2024 12:12 |
| Story ID: | 468227 |
| Location: | HURLBURT FIELD, FL, US |
| Web Views: | 74 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Celebrating Arab American Heritage Month: An Airman’s story, by SrA Alysa Calvarese, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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