The Metro: New exhibit shows the power and purpose of seeing Arab Americans as ordinary
“Seeing the Southend” features photographs of Yemeni and Lebanese people in Dearborn taken by Tony Maine during the 1960s and 70s.
A family in Dearborn's Southend on their front porch. This photograph is featured in "Seeing the Southend" at the Arab American National Museum.
Photo credit: Tony Maine
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For many Arab Americans in Southeast Michigan, Dearborn is a point of pride. For decades, immigrants from across the Arab world have left an imprint on the suburb bordering Detroit that continues to widen and deepen.
Today, the city, which has an Arab majority, reflects the rich historical, cultural and ethnic diversity of the Arab world.
It is also home to the Arab American National Museum.
A new exhibit at the museum gives us a window into Dearborn’s Southend neighborhood. It is an area that Arab Americans fought to protect amid a zoning battle that lasted from the 1950s to the 70s. They fought against a city plan that would have turned the area into a major industrial hub.
“Seeing the Southend” includes photographs by Tony Maine depicting Yemeni and Lebanese people living ordinary lives in the Southend neighborhood during the 1960s and 70s. In this way, there is beauty in the mundane, said Rasha Almulaiki, who will moderate a discussion during the show’s opening on March 6. The photos, she said, show Arab American life that is seldom seen but vital to unraveling persistent stereotypes.
Exhibit curator Dean Nessredine and Almulaiki joined the show to discuss what we can learn from these photos of thriving, everyday Arab immigrants and why the exhibit is important to view now.
Use the media player above to hear the conversation.
More stories from The Metro on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025.
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