Alixa Naff

Lebanese-born American and pioneering historian of Arab American culture and immigration history, known as "the Mother of Arab-American Studies."

Author of Becoming American: The Early Arab Immigrant Experience and The Arab Americans.

According to the Smithsonian Institution, her prodigious research highlights the Arab immigrant experience from 1880 through the 1950s, documenting the diversity of this community, previously overlooked by scholars.

Traversed the country in a blue Volkswagen Beetle nicknamed "the camel," collecting oral histories and using her powers of persuasion to convince Arab Americans to donate family artifacts to be included in a special collection she assembled and donated to the Smithsonian.

The collection, named in honor of her parents Faris and Yamna Naff, includes 500 artifacts 450 oral history interviews, 2,000 photos, and is available for research through the National Museum of American History.

Her great legacy was the creation and preservation of this unique archive for future generations of scholars.