08/15/2026
For over 150 years, Arab Americans have shaped and enriched the American experience. Yet I Am Deeply Rooted Here: Stories from Arab America is a powerful 12-poster exhibition from the Smithsonian and the Arab American National Museum that explores the diverse journeys, cultural contributions, and enduring legacies of Arab Americans.
This exhibition is on display at the Salem Public Library main branch now through September 5, 2026.
The exhibition’s title is drawn from a 1926 poem by Kahlil Gibran, one of the most influential Arab American poets of the 20th century. Born in Lebanon in 1883 and immigrating to the United States in 1895, Gibran wrote in To Young Americans of Syrian Origin:
“I believe that you can say to the founders of this great nation,
Here I am, a youth, a young tree whose roots were plucked from the hills of Lebanon,
yet I am deeply rooted here, and I would be fruitful.”
Through personal stories, historical context, and cultural highlights, Yet I am Deeply Rooted Here presents the richness and complexity of Arab American life. The exhibition addresses the question of how Arab Americans identify themselves and highlights their place in US history.
Yet I am Deeply Rooted Here was developed by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service | Smithsonian Affiliations and the Arab American National Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate.
