Another year in the history of our community has passed. The past twelve months were filled with success, headache and heartbreak. Our community witnessed the election of qualified individuals to office, withstood the emergence of controversies and attacks, and endured the loss of some beloved members.

As the Arab American News seals its third decade and approaches its 30th anniversary, the paper continued to document Arab Americans’ stories and archive their history.

This year, our political participation and economic presence grew significantly. As the Detroit bankruptcy thrust the area’s economics onto the world stage, many people learned that Arab Americans are some of the last remaining business owners in the city. The election of Susan Dabaja to the presidency of Dearborn City Council has also shown the decisive influence of our vote.

Arab Americans are becoming a visible element in the political, economic and cultural fabric of the state and nation. But as our community grows, controversies, scandals and corruption are all too present as well. Our paper has tried to correct these wrongs by bringing them to our readers’ attention. And this coming year, we will do so even more aggressively. 

We do not have an agenda. We report the news. Our mission is to tell the truth and uncover what our readers need to know. We owe the truth to both our community and our profession.

If a situation is newsworthy, we will report on it, regardless of whom it involves. That is our job. In 2013, we did not shy away from informing the community about controversies where friends of our publication were main actors. We assure our readers that we will continue to put our professional duties ahead of personal relations, politics, and any calculations or agendas. 

The flow of information that eventually ends up on our pages is not, however, a one-way stream. Our office doors are literally open to any person who would like to walk in and share his input. Our phones are constantly ringing with community members who want to tell their stories. Our reporters often gather notes and raw material for their articles from readers. Our editorial pages are open to anyone with any opinion. Bottom line, we are writing stories lived and told by you. Hence, we encourage our community to keep making history and providing us with positive stories to recount for our readers.

In every article we write, we reach out to all sides involved, but when press time comes, we have to publish what we have. If individuals decide not to respond to us, they are doing themselves a disservice, as their version of the story will be missing from our depiction of the events. 

In 2013, we have tackled sensitive issues and broken the silence on many little-discussed matters, including the struggle of gays and lesbians in our community and the hardships Muslim women face to get a divorce. We will not sweep an issue under the rug because it is difficult to address. In the land of the First Amendment, we will not censor ourselves to avoid telling people what they don’t want to hear.

The Arab American News will continue to advocate for our common cause, write our community’s success stories and point out the shortcomings. We will continue to promote dialogue and acceptance among each other and fight bigotry and discrimination wherever they exist. 

The past year was a painful one for The Arab American News.  We lost a dear founding member and a pillar of this publication. On January 1, 2013, Marianna Kay Siblani lost a vicious and long battle with cancer.  And we lost a great writer, editor and dedicated fighter.  

However, through the most difficult and painful moments this year, positive moments still emerged.  Our publisher and the paper’s founder Osama Siblani was inducted into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame on April 21, making him the first ethnic media representative to be inducted and the only Arab American other than the legendary late Helen Thomas. 

Last month, the Washington D.C.- based Newseum and the Smithsonian Institution announced plans to feature The Arab American News in their exhibition on the origins and influence of ethnic media in the United States.

In addition, The Arab American News entered into a partnership with other major ethnic and minority publications to form a coalition, New Michigan Media. This partnership, which includes The Michigan Chronicle, the Latino Press, Korean and Asian Weekly and The Jewish News, intends to reach out to other communities and work with them on common issues. New Michigan Media received a grant from the Knight Foundation to focus on Detroit’s bankruptcy and its consequences in partnership with four mainstream media outlets. New Michigan Media’s partners in the cooperative are Bridge Magazine, Detroit Public Radio (WDET-FM), Detroit Public Television (DPTV) and Michigan Radio.

Most importantly, we thank, first and foremost, our readers, who have given us a reason to continue writing over the last three decades.  We also thank our advertisers, who have allowed us to circulate our publication and improve upon it with every issue. Our hope is that our readers will return their generosity in kind by supporting their businesses. And finally, we extend our appreciation to our current and former staff, whose dedication to the paper and the profession has been the driving force behind our success.

As we enter our fourth decade, we wish you all a Happy New Year and look forward to continuing our work with you.

Thank you for your support.