Welcome to Anaheim’s Little Arabia: The Road to Recognition and Freeway Signs

Nearly 2 years aft Arab American leaders, concern owners and assemblage members stepped up a decade-long run calling connected Anaheim metropolis officials to admit Little Arabia – a thoroughfare connected Brookhurst Avenue that has been named that for years – authoritative signs are acceptable to spell up.

On Thursday, Anaheim took the archetypal measurement successful acknowledging the county’s archetypal Arab American taste territory by unveiling freeway signs directing visitors to the area. 

“Little Arabia is taking its rightful spot successful our metropolis arsenic we speak,” said Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken during Thursday’s showing of the freeway signs. “And successful the months and years to come, we’ll proceed to physique connected small Arabia with much signage, creation and nationalist spaces.”

Thursday’s unveiling was the culmination of decades of advocacy by section Arab American concern owners, activists and advocacy groups to get the metropolis to admit each the contributions migrant entrepreneurs person brought to Anaheim.

[Read: Anaheim’s Little Arabia is Finally Getting its Freeway Signs]

For galore who pushed for that recognition, the agelong awaited signs marque the Little Anaheim designation a world and pass to Arab immigrants successful West Anaheim and crossed Orange County that they substance and are present to stay.

“It’s important due to the fact that this motion represents the Arab American community’s contributions for galore decades to this portion of Anaheim,” said Rashad Al-Dabbagh, enforcement manager of the Arab American Civic Council, successful an interrogation Thursday.

Executive Director of the Arab American Civic Council Rashad Al-Dabbagh attends the unveiling of a replica of the Little Arabia freeway signs that volition nonstop commuters to Anaheim’s Little Arabia territory connected September 19, 2024. Credit: Fashion Castillo Credit: FASHION CASTILLO, Voice of OC

He added that for him, the motion yet gives designation to a assemblage that has agelong deserved it.

“It represents the hard work, the galore years of advocacy, the galore years of engagement and the success, and the occurrence communicative of this community,” Al-Dabbagh said.

Over 60 radical gathered connected the country of Brookhurst Street and Brookmore Avenue for the uncover of Anaheim’s long-awaited freeway exit signage directing postulation towards Little Arabia.

Anaheim metropolis officials and assemblage leaders be a peculiar lawsuit to unveil a replica of the Little Arabia freeway motion connected September 19, 2024. Credit: Fashion Castillo Credit: FASHION CASTILLO, Voice of OC

Anaheim City spokesperson Mike Lyster said the exit signs disconnected the 5 and 91 freeways are expected to beryllium up by adjacent week, for the metropolis is depending connected CalTrans to instrumentality the signage, truthful the nonstop time is inactive uncertain.

“It’s a large measurement successful the close absorption successful presumption of recognizing our diverseness present successful Anaheim,” said Ojaala Ahmad, who is moving for Anaheim City Council this year, successful an interrogation astatine the motion unveiling. 

Ahmad is up against Ryan Bailus successful the upcoming November election, 1 of 7 candidates vying for 3 unfastened seats connected the metropolis council.

[Read: Disney Comes successful With Late Spending successful Anaheim City Council Races]

Ojaala Ahmad poses successful beforehand of 1 of the agelong awaited Little Arabia freeway signs successful Anaheim’s authoritative Little Arabia territory connected September 19, 2024. Credit: Fashion Castillo Credit: FASHION CASTILLO, Voice of OC

She added that continued enactment from metropolis officials would assistance different communities, not conscionable a historical Arab colonisation successful Anaheim, foster a much accepting assemblage successful the neighborhood.

“I anticipation this volition beryllium a span to assistance america with gaining acquisition and learning astir different communities successful Anaheim and Orange County,” Ahmad said.

The Story of Little Arabia

Back successful the 80s and 90s, Arab migrant concern owners started to instrumentality a rundown portion of Brookhurst Street and person it into a taste hub that yet included Arab barber shops, Halal butchers, bakeries, Falafel, Shawarma and Knafeh shops and Hookah lounges.

The country successful West Anaheim became a location distant from location for Arab migrant families each implicit Southern California and organically formed into a concern territory bringing income taxation gross to Anaheim – 1 that formed without authorities subsidies.

And without metropolis recognition.

For decades aft the enactment of what colloquially became called the Little Gaza and past the Little Arabia district, concern owners and assemblage leaders started to advocate antithetic rosters of Anaheim City Council members to officially admit the area.

But to nary avail.

During the COVID-19 pandemic and the authorities mandated shutdowns that followed, those efforts revamped with concern owners arguing that freeway signs and an authoritative designation would assistance bring successful much customers to the area.

And then, sworn FBI affidavits surfaced successful which national agents alleged – what galore activists already suspected – Disneyland Resort interests held undue power implicit metropolis hallway and argumentation making successful Anaheim.

[Read: FBI Reveals What Many Anaheim Residents Felt For Years, City Hall is Run By The Chamber of Commerce]

In the aftermath of the FBI Corruption Probe and continued advocacy from section Arab leaders, a bulk of Anaheim City Council Members voted successful 2022 to officially designate a information of Brookhurst Street arsenic Little Arabia. 

In January, officials voted to enactment with CalTrans to get 4 freeway signs enactment up.

Editor’s Note: Ashleigh Aitken’s father, Wylie Aitken, chairs Voice of OC’s committee of directors.

Hugo Rios is simply a Voice of OC reporting fellow. Contact him astatine [email protected] oregon connected Twitter @hugoriosss.

Hosam Elattar is simply a Voice of OC newsman and corps subordinate with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him astatine [email protected] oregon connected Twitter @ElattarHosam.

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