A brief history of Arab – Americans’ migration in Jacksonville by Valerie Etienne-Leveille It is a challenging task to find accurate recordings of the early history of Arab–Americans’ migration from different Middle Eastern regions in the United States because until 1898, Arab immigrants were lumped together in immigration records under “Turkey in Asia” (1). The first documented Arab immigrant to settle in Jacksonville was a fruit seller named Farris Mansour around 1890 (2). When Farris Mansour arrived in Jacksonville, the Ottoman Empire still controlled much of the Eastern Mediterranean lands. Ottoman Syria included modern Syria as well as Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, and other territories. Early immigrants from Ottoman Syria identified with their religious affiliation rather than their nationality (3). The religious identification added to the difficulty of accurate early immigration records because Muslim and different Christian denominations cut across national and ethnic lines in the region. Modern Syria and Lebanon are examples of two countries that were not nation-states until the mid-twentieth century. As a result, records and statistics for early Arab immigration patterns were combined from the different nations represented in the region.
Ottoman Empire map courtesy of Encyclopedia Britannica (4).
After the arrival of Farris Mansour in Jacksonville around 1890, hundreds more Arab immigrants followed over the next thirty years. The first wave of Arab immigrants originated from the rural Mount Lebanon area and 90% of them were Christians (2). Arab-American immigrants were attracted to Jacksonville because of its port and growing commercial sector. They pursued careers as grocers, peddlers, and small business entrepreneurs. Among the Arab-American community in Jacksonville, two dominant communities are largely represented: Syrian ancestry and Lebanese ancestry. By the year 1920, 1 in 13 immigrants to Jacksonville was of Syrian descent (5). Syrian-Americans and Lebanese-Americans are deeply religious people. In their culture, age is respected and respect for parents is extremely valued (3). Roles are often defined by gender and men are usually the heads
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of families, but the women are considered the heart of the family. In the family setting, they subscribe to a collectivist culture where the welfare of the group is considered more important than the needs of the individual. Jacksonville’s Arab community is different from those in other U.S. cities because they immersed themselves in the dominant culture which gained them a higher level of acceptance compared to Arab communities in other cities.
Middle East map created by the CIA in 2019 (6).
The Arab-American community has not abandoned its culture but instead has worked to assimilate in the dominant culture in public while maintaining its own cultural traditions in private; A daily exercise for all individuals who grew up and subscribe to cultural behaviors different from the dominant culture. This ability to toggle between cultural behaviors is known as “culture switching” and is an extremely valuable skill for everyone to learn- no matter where you live or where your family originated. Currently the city of Jacksonville has the tenth largest overall Arab American community in the United States.
References
1. Orfalea, G. (1989). On Arab Americans: A Bibliographical Essay. American Studies International, 27(2), 26-41. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41280727
2. Delaney, B. (2020, April 2). A Look at Jacksonville’s Arab American Community. The Jaxsonmag. https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/a-look-at-jacksonvilles-arab-american-community/
3. Hajar, P. Jones, J.S. (n.d.). Lebanese Americans. Countries and Their Cultures. https://www.everyculture.com/multi/Le- Pa/Lebanese-Americans.html#Comments_1
4. Geography.name. (n.d.). Ottoman Empire. https://geography.name/ottoman-empire/
5. Pantazi, A. (2015, November 24). Syrian refugees enjoy century-old roots in Jacksonville. Florida Times Union. https://www.jacksonville.com/article/20151124/NEWS/801257789
6. Geology.com. (n.d.) The Middle East. https://geology.com/world/middle-east.shtml VALERIE ETIENNE-LEVEILLE 2