Welcome to Indianapolis, where Arab American history is ‘hidden in plain sight’
Willard Street once ran through what is now known as the home of the Indianapolis Colts. From 1890 to 1920, Willard Street was packed with people who immigrated to the United States from the eastern Mediterranean, now known as Syria and Lebanon.
“People would sit outside on their stoops, especially on Sundays, where they’d share food…and sing their songs. And they lived as a multiracial neighborhood of Black, white, and brown people. We just don’t know that,” Dr. Curtis said.
After World War I, Arab Americans were given access to more housing in Indianapolis. As a result, according to Dr. Curtis, Arabs spread out from the east to the west side in search of more land to put their grocery stores, which was a significant part of Arab culture.
Curtis, the Chair of Liberal Arts and a professor of Religious Studies at IUPUI, has made it his life’s work to bring the history of Arab Americans out of the shadows. More pointedly, Arab Americans of the Midwest.
“I grew up in rural southern Illinois. My grandmother — was like my second mother — brought me up to have pride in my Arab heritage,” Dr. Curtis explained. “I just had no idea when I moved to Indianapolis several years ago that there was such a rich history here.”
When the professor began to look for the presence of his ancestors in their migration to the U.S., he found not only the heartbeat of the Indianapolis Arabic community but several landmarks associated with Indiana history also marked the history of Arab Hoosiers.
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