ARABIC HERITAGE Written by Anthony J. Mansour
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Around the World War I period, Flint , Michigan has been likened to a magnet,
drawing people to it from all parts of the world. The first person of Arabic origin
arrived in the Flint area around 1855, the time of the incorporation of the city.
As the city grew, it attracted immigrants from all over the world to provide the
laborers needed in its growing and evolving industries. Our pioneers were among
them. It is believed that for many years Native Americans who inhabited the land
around where the city is located had forged the Flint River at a broad and
shallow area near the heart of what is now downtown. The river was the
Pewonigowink, or the river of flint, because of an abundance of flint stones in
and around it. Between the years 1900 and 1929, Flint was a boom town. The
lumber industry drove the local economy and provided work for anyone seeking
a job. Several Arab Americans served as lumberjacks upon their arrival in this
country. When the lumber industry lost its steam, Flint became the carriage
manufacturing center of the world.
The typical forces that drive emigration are religious persecution/freedom, economic
hardship/opportunity, famine, racial oppression, war/violence, natural disasters, love,
wanderlust, and conscription. All of those forces were at work in the lives of our early
pioneers. Those forces are what pushed and pulled them to America . Men and
women in the Arab countries were motivated to leave because of circumstances in
their homelands and enticed by circumstances in the new world. Immigration to the
United States from Lebanon and Palestine around 1900 may be attributable in part to
the famine that was prevalent at that time. Virtually one third of the population of
Lebanon was wiped out by the famine. There were many causes of the famine. It
occurred during World War I, at a time when the British were blockading the seaports
on the Mediterranean , which cut off supplies from other countries. The Ottoman
Turks were confiscating food, personal property, and even buildings in those countries
to maintain its army, leaving nothing for the populace. The city of Nazareth was spared
from the famine, or at least the consequences were not as bad, because the Nazareth
area was agricultural and food was available.
Not many stories by Arab immigrants complain about discrimination against them. The
exception was stories of the conditions in the automobile plants. Some early
immigrants, who worked in Between 1900 and 1920, Arab immigrants started to pour
into the Flint area. This period is the main focus of this study. The year 1920 was a big
year for immigration because it followed the end of WWI during which travel had been
restricted. This first wave of immigrants consisted primarily of Christian men. There
were young, single men who had been chosen and financed by their families to come to
America , to establish themselves, and to make it possible for the rest of the family to
follow. There were the family men, and an occasional woman, who would come to
America to lead the way for the rest of the family. The family usually endured great
hardship in his absence. Most of our pioneers were self-taught, but some got help at
the International Institute language classes. The stay-at-home housewife and the
children spoke Arabic in the home setting. When the children started school they soon
learned English, but many families continued to speak Arabic in the home. Some
children rebelled and refused to speak Arabic in the home. In order to survive outside
the home setting, the mother soon gave in and learned English. Drawn here by a
perceived opportunity to improve their status, the immigrants established a supportive
community, Little Syria, assimilated into American culture, while retaining a distinctive
identity. They prospered through their initiative and hard work. Today’s generation
owes its comfortable existence to the vision and the hardships endured by the founding
generation. The earliest Flint Arab Americans worked in the carriage shops to help
Flint become the carriage manufacturing center of the world. Later, they worked in the
Buick plants where they were paid one dollar per hour. In September, 1908, GM was
organized in Flint , and Flint became the Vehicle City . The need for employees was
so great that factories sent recruiters to the ports of entry to entice immigrants to come
to Flint . They even provided transportation by buses. Workers were also brought in
from the southern states by buses and trains.
For lack of a more definitive handle, as used here, the term Arab American, in
its broadest sense, describes those people who share a common mother
language, culture and tradition in music, food, and artistic expression and who
trace their lineage to one of the twenty-two Arab countries.
All information above is credited to Anthony J. Mansour who is the
Author of "The Peddler the Merchant Generation" publication which is
available for purchase. The publication was produced for the AAHC
under a research grant from the Ruth Mott Foundation.
drawing people to it from all parts of the world. The first person of Arabic origin
arrived in the Flint area around 1855, the time of the incorporation of the city.
As the city grew, it attracted immigrants from all over the world to provide the
laborers needed in its growing and evolving industries. Our pioneers were among
them. It is believed that for many years Native Americans who inhabited the land
around where the city is located had forged the Flint River at a broad and
shallow area near the heart of what is now downtown. The river was the
Pewonigowink, or the river of flint, because of an abundance of flint stones in
and around it. Between the years 1900 and 1929, Flint was a boom town. The
lumber industry drove the local economy and provided work for anyone seeking
a job. Several Arab Americans served as lumberjacks upon their arrival in this
country. When the lumber industry lost its steam, Flint became the carriage
manufacturing center of the world.
The typical forces that drive emigration are religious persecution/freedom, economic
hardship/opportunity, famine, racial oppression, war/violence, natural disasters, love,
wanderlust, and conscription. All of those forces were at work in the lives of our early
pioneers. Those forces are what pushed and pulled them to America . Men and
women in the Arab countries were motivated to leave because of circumstances in
their homelands and enticed by circumstances in the new world. Immigration to the
United States from Lebanon and Palestine around 1900 may be attributable in part to
the famine that was prevalent at that time. Virtually one third of the population of
Lebanon was wiped out by the famine. There were many causes of the famine. It
occurred during World War I, at a time when the British were blockading the seaports
on the Mediterranean , which cut off supplies from other countries. The Ottoman
Turks were confiscating food, personal property, and even buildings in those countries
to maintain its army, leaving nothing for the populace. The city of Nazareth was spared
from the famine, or at least the consequences were not as bad, because the Nazareth
area was agricultural and food was available.
Not many stories by Arab immigrants complain about discrimination against them. The
exception was stories of the conditions in the automobile plants. Some early
immigrants, who worked in Between 1900 and 1920, Arab immigrants started to pour
into the Flint area. This period is the main focus of this study. The year 1920 was a big
year for immigration because it followed the end of WWI during which travel had been
restricted. This first wave of immigrants consisted primarily of Christian men. There
were young, single men who had been chosen and financed by their families to come to
America , to establish themselves, and to make it possible for the rest of the family to
follow. There were the family men, and an occasional woman, who would come to
America to lead the way for the rest of the family. The family usually endured great
hardship in his absence. Most of our pioneers were self-taught, but some got help at
the International Institute language classes. The stay-at-home housewife and the
children spoke Arabic in the home setting. When the children started school they soon
learned English, but many families continued to speak Arabic in the home. Some
children rebelled and refused to speak Arabic in the home. In order to survive outside
the home setting, the mother soon gave in and learned English. Drawn here by a
perceived opportunity to improve their status, the immigrants established a supportive
community, Little Syria, assimilated into American culture, while retaining a distinctive
identity. They prospered through their initiative and hard work. Today’s generation
owes its comfortable existence to the vision and the hardships endured by the founding
generation. The earliest Flint Arab Americans worked in the carriage shops to help
Flint become the carriage manufacturing center of the world. Later, they worked in the
Buick plants where they were paid one dollar per hour. In September, 1908, GM was
organized in Flint , and Flint became the Vehicle City . The need for employees was
so great that factories sent recruiters to the ports of entry to entice immigrants to come
to Flint . They even provided transportation by buses. Workers were also brought in
from the southern states by buses and trains.
For lack of a more definitive handle, as used here, the term Arab American, in
its broadest sense, describes those people who share a common mother
language, culture and tradition in music, food, and artistic expression and who
trace their lineage to one of the twenty-two Arab countries.
All information above is credited to Anthony J. Mansour who is the
Author of "The Peddler the Merchant Generation" publication which is
available for purchase. The publication was produced for the AAHC
under a research grant from the Ruth Mott Foundation.
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