Finding beauty in the mundane

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. 

As Robyn Vincent reported in The MetroToday, 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.