Anaheim City Council members voted 5-0-1 to formally recognize Brookhurst Street as “Little Arabia,” becoming America’s first formal Arab American district on Aug. 24.
The push for Little Arabia to receive recognition began over a decade ago, but official action was taken in August 2019 when State Senator Ling Ling Chang introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution 71 (SCR-71) to officially recognize Little Arabia. After the proposed resolution, efforts were taken over by local businesses and the Arab American Civic Council (AACC).
“This designation — which took about two decades of advocacy, education and outreach — gives the community a sense of belonging,” AACC founder and executive director Rashad Al-Dabbagh told The National.
Little Arabia’s first storefronts emerged in the late ‘80s and ‘90s. These stores are credited with transforming the once “seedy” Brookhurst street into a prospering community and economic sector, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Despite its humble beginnings, Little Arabia is now home to over 100 Arab American-owned businesses including bakeries, barber shops and grocery stores. Al-Dabbagh attributes much of this success to the thriving community aspects of Little Arabia.
“It gives confidence, hope and optimism to this community,” Al-Dabbagh said. “It’s a tool for us to fight apathy — those who say, ‘They don’t like us’ or ‘It’s never gonna happen’ or that voting and civic engagement isn’t a good use of our time.”
For many, an official designation for Little Arabia was an important step in recognizing an overlooked community.
“If I saw a ‘Welcome to Little Arabia’ sign, I’d be so happy and filled with joy. As an Arab American, I will feel acknowledged like I mattered. It will mean a lot to me and a lot to the community to see Little Arabia designated,” said Salma Maayath, a fifth grader who spoke at the August city council meeting.
A few months after the official decision,the Little Arabia district board and the AACC hosted the Little Arabia Celebration, which took place on Oct 28. The event featured 12 different vendors, a DJ and two musical acts.
Performances included the Sa’id Judeh Dance Company, Syrian American rapper and poet Omar Offendum and Arab American DJ Lady E, who is also from Southern California.
In a post on Instagram, Offendum shared a video from his performance at the Little Arabia Celebration.
“Congratulations to the @arabcouncil & @littlearabiadistrict on this historic achievement — thank you all for putting #SouthernCalifornia #Arabs on the map in a major way & reminding us of the importance of civic engagement on a local level,” Offendum wrote in the caption.
The celebration happened to coincide with MTVs ‘vote early’ day. In addition to the musical events and food, the celebration focused on helping voters get registered and send in ballots by mail.
The Little Arabia community has deep-rooted traditions of supporting the district’s businesses and their owners.
“If a new restaurant comes in, as a community, we help a lot — money-wise, business-wise, commercial-wise. When I first came here and saw how people treated each other, I was proud,” Nader Hamda, a worker at a restaurant in Little Arabia, told The National.
Business owners in Little Arabia feel the official designation shows that Anaheim cares about its diverse communities. One business owner expressed hope that this distinction will help bring in more business and recognition for their shops.
“It helps a lot. It allows small businesses that aren’t as well known, or maybe don’t have the money to do marketing, to make a name for themselves, too. And it brings the community closer together,” Samantha Othman, the owner of Little Arabia restaurant Sababa, told The National.
Scarlett Roberts is a City News Intern for the fall 2022 quarter. She can be reached at sorobert@uci.edu.
