This first-ever celebration of Arab American Heritage month in State College will take place on Thursday April 9 and Saturday April 11 at the Woskob Family Gallery at 146 S Allen Street. On Thursday April 9, the Mayor of State College, Ezra Nanes, will begin the celebration at 5 PM with a proclamation of Arab American Heritage Month in State College. This will be followed by a talk by the scholar Ghassan Zeinnedine, a performance by a visiting Dabke dance group and Arab-inspired food. On Saturday April 11, events will start at 10:30 AM with a film screening, then at 12 PM talks by members of the Arab American community in State College, an Arab-inspired lunch at 1 PM, then a guest talk by the award-winning novelist and poet, Laila Halaby, at 2 PM and lastly a book reading for children and calligraphy. Sponsors for this celebration of Arab American Heritage include the Comparative Literature Department, the College of the Liberal Arts, the Humanities Institute, the McCourtney Institute for Democracy, the Sparks Chair in Applied Linguistics, the Center for Global Studies, the Center for Social Change and Belonging, the African Studies Program and the Paul Robeson Cultural Center. The Arabic Language program in the Department of Comparative Literature will have a table at the event.