ARABS IN HOUSTON by Kathy Najimy Thank you it is a pleasure to be here. Arabs in Houston Huh? I have to say it was just a little bit disorienting to see a Tex Mex babganouge stand at the airport. Being Lebanese is something I have grown up to be very proud of. As a kid I wore it like a badge. I was a different breed ... as far as I was concerned...the blessed breed. And I talked about it...all the time. “Hello Mrs. Silverman...it’s Kathy Najimy...yes I’d love to come to Linda's birthday party...well, yes Najimy IS an unusual name...It’s Arabic. Yes, both of my parents are from Lebanon. Yes, I’m full blooded.” I don’t have any idea where I got the term “full-blooded” ... but I was “full blooded” to anyone and everyone who would listen. At grade school show and tell, other kids would bring scrapbooks or slides of their vacations or their dogs... I brought parsley, mint leaves and bulgur and made Tabuli for the whole class. Tabuli was my calling card...I don’t know...it was the most important thing in MY life ...I just assumed it should be in theirs. I had a lot of friends, but the core of my social life was my brother, sisters and cousins. Growing up with my family and cousins around me helped shape who I was and gave me a great sense of identity. Our parents all spoke Arabic, we went to the same churches, were taught a lot of the same morals and values and of course we shared a love of the best foods on earth. I knew who I was, where I came from and where I belonged. I am now the mother of a gorgeous and smart 3 year old girl...Samia Najimy Finnerty...and of my many wishes for her...one of the strongest is that she find the same pride that I did in her ancestry... she is Irish and she is Arabic and I am going to love introducing her to her very rich and colorful heritage. I have a friend, a wonderful black actress friend who recently returned from a trip to Egypt. She told me that the most overwhelming part of the trip was that she expected to learn a lot, but did not expect that she would find out exactly who she was from. She said “Kathy if I could take every kid who is out on the streets or in trouble and show them where they are from...I could prove to them they are all from Kings and Queens. Then they would have a sense of identity...of pride and of purpose. I am fortunate ...I knew from the moment I was born that I was from Kings and Queens. In fact I’m sure I drove my mom crazy when, I insisted for a good part of my life that I was indeed a princess and should be treated so. My mom Samia was born in Beirut and lived there until she was 18. My father Fred, has passed away and...both of his parents...my Tita and Jiddy were born in Lebanon. My Jiddy taught me how to be stubborn and how to smoke an argueeely (of course we called it an Opium pipe) and my Tita taught me how to make Arabic bread in her basement. I will never ever forget that smell. She actually taught me a lot. There have been many strong Lebanese women in my life. My mom, who speaks Arabic, English and four other languages has told me stories of growing up in Lebanon...how beautiful and warm it was...and how she would wake up every morning and have apricots and Lebni and my Auntie Alices' fresh made bread. My mom taught me the music and soul of Lebanon. And about family and pride. My Auntie Alice, the best cook ion the world.. who taught me about unconditional love and kindness, and about the amazing cedars...in fact there is not a person I have met who has been there, who doesn't say that the Middle East is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. My Tita Margaret, who taught me I must “Pin my hair back away from my forehead so she could see my beautiful face!”. And oh, then there is my crazy Aunt Lillian. Aunt Lillian gave me my “LOOK AT ME“genetics. When I was about 7 or 8 she taught a group of us how to belly dance. I loved it. My mom made me a belly dancing outfit out of an old bathing suit and some chiffon...and for years I used my belly dancing as a marketing tool...whenever my uncle Fred would come over and have a few too many shots of ARAK... I’d put on the outfit and dance around for some extra pocket change. My Aunt Lillian still has pictures up of us belly dancing right next to the photo that was up in every one of my relatives homes...the photo that still to this day is yellow and faded and ripped but remains on every wall and in every wallet...the photo of me and my cousins in our belly dancing costumes with the Lebanese T.V. God... Danny Thomas. When I was on The Tonight Show...Jay Leno said “Oh you’re Lebanese...then of course you must have that alter that is in every Arabic Home I've ever been in. The one with the picture of the cedar trees and the framed photo of Danny Thomas.” And yes we did. Actually I was particularly influenced in my life by Marlo Thomas. She was Arabic and beautiful and smart and feminist, ...an author, actress and activist and the first woman character on T.V. who was single, a career woman, not living at home and not supported by a man. I looooved THAT GIRL. So, I had a lot of cultural input from my family and from a few successful known Arabic artists but almost nothing from school or from television or movies. In the 4th grade we saw great educational films on lands that had tragedy and triumph. Many documentaries about Japan and Germany, Russia and many films about the Holocaust ... and I was moved by them all....and I thought ... how great that we’re exposed to this history. And then by the 7th and 8th and 9th grades and after film after film of OTHER countries history... I went home to my mom and said “What about Lebanon? What about the suffering and battle and survival of the Middle East?” And still, today it is unbalanced. Still today in films and on TV..it is rare to see anything about the Middle East other than racist portrayals of ubiquitous oil magnates and terrorist characters. I am sure the widespread LACK of exploration and education in this country about the beauty, plight and the truth of Middle Eastern History ... frustrates you as much as it does me. ...And I hope you join me in a dedication to support and create work and enlightenment about the countries that we come from and that we love. About six years ago I got a call from a wonderful man, Don Bustany from the Arab Anti-Discrimination League. He told me that I was being honored by an Arabic organization and I was thrilled ... and then he said with sensitivity, “ Kathy, there will be press at this event and you are in the entertainment industry...so, we understand if you have some reservations at being connected to these awards.” And I thought “Really?” It hadn't even crossed my mind. The truth is ... there is no film, no TV show and NO amount of money or fame that could EVER mean as much to me, as the extraordinary country and people that I come from. I am proud to be from Kings and Queens, I am anxious and proud to watch my daughter embrace her heritage, and I am so proud to be asked to be with you all tonight....thank you.