Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future

UC San Diego showcased the richness of Arab and Arab-American heritage and history at its second annual Arab-American Heritage Month Celebration Dinner.

The event was moderated by Arab-American Heritage Month co-chairs Sarab Aziz, UC San Diego History Department Events Coordinator, and Essma Eweida, research administrator in UC San Diego Department of Medicine’s Sponsored Projects Office. DJ Ola Al-Masri provided music for the event and Tahini Catering, which has a restaurant at UC San Diego, supplied authentic Arabic food.

The first speaker of the night was Anthony J. Harb, assistant professor in Communication and member of the UC San Diego Arab American Faculty and Staff Association. He shared, “As I studied to become a scholar of language and social justice, I began to understand how deeply tied our tongues are to our identity but also to how we see the world, and to how society gets organized.”

The event’s student speaker was Sana Alkhouli, a senior in Muir College majoring in Communication and minoring in Law & Society. “Being part of this community reminded me that my culture, my language, my food and my identity had a place [at UC San Diego], too,” she said. “That’s why events like this one matter so much. They not only highlight our contributions, our stories and our voices, they center them. They create space for connection, joy and pride. They help build bridges across cultures and foster understanding in ways that are real and lasting.”

Comedian Nasser Al-Rayess was the keynote speaker, sharing with the audience his takes on topics such as cultural identity, family and social justice. He also shared personal anecdotes and stories that resonated with the audience.

The event concluded with a performance by Zaytouna Dabke Troupe, a volunteer group based at the House of Palestine in San Diego’s Balboa Park that performs traditional Palestinian dabke folk dance.

For more information on UC San Diego Heritage Months, visit this webpage.