Organizing Little Arabia

Little Arabia District is a cultural destination in Anaheim, California, the center for Orange County’s Arab-American community. Community advocates have been calling upon the Anaheim City Council to formally designate Brookhurst Street in west Anaheim as “Little Arabia.”

After more than two decades of community engagement, education, and advocacy, the Anaheim City Council finally voted in favor of formally designating Little Arabia on August 23, 2022.

To celebrate this historic milestone, the Arab American Civic Council hosted a Little Arabia Celebration event on Friday, October 28, 2022, which marked ‘Vote Early Day’, a civic holiday focused on helping every voter know how, where, and when they can vote early. Hundreds of community and supporters of Little Arabia gathered to celebrate the city of Anaheim’s formal designation of Little Arabia, while also highlighting the importance of staying civically-engaged. The event was sponsored by Alkam Law Offices and MTV’s Vote Early Day.

Although Little Arabia is now official, we continue to organize in Little Arabia by working directly with the local community and businesses. In the upcoming year, the City of Anaheim will conduct a “Little Arabia Study” to make funding decisions relating to Little Arabia and identify the exact boundaries of Little Arabia. Building upon our success, we will ensure the engagement of the Little Arabia community in the City’s process and decisions that will directly impact them.