Arab Immigrants in Flint, Michigan: The Case of Merchants in the Inner City

Abstract

Owners of grocery stores in major cities across the U.S. in the eyes of inhabitants of poor neighborhoods, and other communities as well, are the most conspicuous of all Arab immigrants. The dearth of information on the Arab immigrants' social, political, and economic life is even more evident in the case of grocery retailing by hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Arab merchants. The continued involvement by the Flint Arab immigrants in grocery retailing for at least 92 years has become a reflection of the area's Arab American history. The relatively young and highly educated contemporary merchants in Flint are perceived to be at the bottom of the assimilation process by their established first-and second generation predecessors. The grocers are a minority within a minority. They are a part of the latest chapter in Arab immigration to the U.S., and the ones most affected by pervasive negative stereotypes of Arabs in general in the mass media. Their economic success in neglected and predominantly Black neighborhoods added to their social isolation and deepened the "community's" suspicion towards them. This paper examines the merchants from three generations, concentrating on the third generation. More specifically, I will provide clues as to why and how a large number of Arab immigrants in Flint have become grocers over the past century. Their experiences are discussed in the context of the contemporary Arab-American saga. The final chapter deals with the conditions of today's merchants in poor neighborhoods.