Anan Ameri facts for kids

Anan Ameri (born in 1944) is an amazing Arab American museum director. She has dedicated her life to sharing the stories and culture of Arab Americans.

Anan Ameri's Story

Anan Ameri was born in 1944. Her father was Palestinian and her mother was Syrian. She grew up in Damascus, Syria, and Amman, Jordan. When she was six, in 1951, her family moved from Jerusalem to Jordan.

Her mother owned a print shop in Amman. Her father was Jordan's foreign minister and ambassador to Egypt. Anan studied sociology at the University of Jordan. She earned her first degree there. Then, she got her master's degree from Cairo University.

After that, Anan moved to the United States. She completed her PhD in sociology at Wayne State University in 1974. She also spent a year studying at Harvard.

Early Activism

Anan became interested in social issues at a young age. She attended her first rally when she was about 11 years old. She worked with the Palestine Research Center in Beirut. She also started the Palestinian Aid Society of America. She was the director of this group from 1980 to 1993.

Building a Museum

Anan Ameri first moved to Detroit for her first husband. Later, in 1989, she moved to Washington, D.C.. Her second husband convinced her to return to Detroit. There, she became the director of the cultural arts program at ACCESS. ACCESS stands for the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services.

Her work led to a big achievement: the creation of the Arab American National Museum. This museum is located in Dearborn, Michigan. Anan Ameri was the first director of the museum. She also became a writer.

Awards and Recognition

Anan Ameri has received many important awards. She won a Palestine Book Award. In 2005, The Detroit News named her the Michiganian of the Year. She was also added to the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 2016. In 2020, ACCESS named her the Arab American of the Year.

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