Community Connections: Medford Celebrates Arab-American Heritage Month

By Norah Doyle

Enchanting music and the smell of authentic Arabic food filled the halls of the Brooks Elementary School, as Medford hosted its third annual Arab-American Heritage Festival.

Organized by the Medford Connects and the city’s Office of Prevention and Outreach, the April 27 event was created three years ago and aims to create a celebration that includes all 22+ Arab nationalities.

Medford Connects is a team of individuals working to make Medford a more inclusive place and the Office of Prevention and Outreach is committed to helping with mental health and substance abuse. Heading the event since its creation is Medford Arabic Community Liaison Samira Hayek.

“It was challenging to create a celebration that felt inclusive to all,” said Hayek. “That changed in 2021, when the U.S. Department of State officially recognized April as National Arab American Heritage Month. This national recognition inspired me because it provided a unifying platform to celebrate all Arab cultures together.”

The festival this year included multiple stations and tables including henna tattoos provided by Nakch Henna Fassi, a Gloucester henna business, and soap sculptures.

Marianne Najjar, a Medford resident, oversaw one of the stations, called “Try on a Thobe.” A “thobe” is a long, ankle-length robe traditionally worn in the Arab world and other Muslim-majority areas, as a symbol of cultural identity and is acceptable attire for religious ceremonies.

Najjar’s goal was to lessen the fear and stigma that surrounds wearing traditional cultural clothing, and to educate attendees about the history and significance of this tradition.

Just past Najjar’s thobe station, the music group Hawa Collective sat on stage, strumming and humming traditional Arabic tunes while festival attendees mingled. The Arabic melodies floating through the air of the festival only added to the greater sense of community and togetherness.

Najjar’s daughters both spoke on stage at the festival, sharing their experiences growing up in a multicultural household with their mother being Portuguese and their father being from Palestine.

“I love our culture — its beauty, its strength, its warmth, and the way it carries history and hope all at once,” said Ayah Najjar, Najjar’s younger daughter, incorporating some humor into the speech as well and explaining that to her, being Arab-American also means, “Your life is full of long lectures and the last minute barbecue with 30 cousins you didn’t know you had,” she said.

Her remarks drew chuckles from the crowd.

The festival this year hosted some special guests, including Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn and MIT Collections Curator Rami Alafandi.

Lungo-Koehn said she was thrilled with the turnout, which displayed the strength of Medford’s community. She expressed her gratitude for the Medford Connects team.

“I’m super proud of all the work they’ve done,” said Lungo-Koehn. “We have a number of different events [outside of this one] that are annual now — so it’s just a great way to give back, create a community feel, and make everybody feel welcome and special.”

Alafandi was invited to the stage to say a few inspiring words to the crowd, and expressed his belief of encouraging the youth to embrace their heritage while also appreciating their American life.

“You can value your two identities at the same time,” said Alafandi. “There’s values in both cultures.”

With each year that has passed, the event has only grown.

“Each year, more people attend, more community partners participate, and more cultural traditions are celebrated,” said Hayek.

Medford Connects Haitian-Creole, African American, Brazilian-Portuguese, Arabic, and Spanish community liaisons work to ensure the city’s cultural identities are represented The team also has Climate Equity, Food Systems, Families & Youth, Older Adult, and Immigration connectors – all issues that are relevant to the community.

“We work together, support each other’s events, and share a common goal of building a more inclusive and connected community,” said Hayek. “Seeing that teamwork in action is truly inspiring and makes each event even more meaningful.”

Along with Arab-American heritage, Medford Connects has a number of multicultural celebrations in its future. They are planning a Youth Summit with Medford High School and Medford Health Matters on May 3, as well as a Haitian Flag Day celebration, which will be celebrated on Saturday, May 17, and a Portuguese Flag Day celebration as well.

Norah Doyle is a Digital Media major studying journalism at Endicott College. This article was produced for the Massachusetts News Service of Endicott College in partnership with Gotta Know Medford.