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• 1 2021-03-15T15:16:38+00:00 Final Thoughts 2 plain 2021-03-31T21:11:21+00:00 It is important in all discussion of ethnic issues to avoid viewing any groups as a monolith, and the contrast between Ms. O'Keefe's testimony and overall trends in Arab-American life makes that clear. While some like Ms. O'Keefe were dissuaded from asserting their identity by the Arab-Israeli wars, other Arab-Americans were inspired by the very same events to raise their profile on the national stage. Moreover, though she experienced little discrimination or xenophobia as a child, that was by no means a rule in the experiences of Arab-American migrants at the time. In other ways, she exemplified the Arab-American immigrant experience of the time. The generational shift of her family between political parties and her deep connection to Arab culture through interactions with others are both common throughout many immigrant narratives of the time.
  
  This is not to say, however, that Ms. O'Keefe's account has no value. On the contrary, her oral history of the Arab-American experience is a deeply personal look into the development of and struggles associated with being a member of the Arab-American immigrant community amidst expectations of assimilation and acculturation. Her testimony, combined with research on the general situation of Arab-American immigrants, serves to demonstrate the ways that historical trends impact the lives of those who experience them. Ms. O'Keefe's unique perspective is thus extremely valuable from any historical standpoint in understanding attitudes of the time.
  
  I would like to conclude by reiterating our gratitude for Jackie O'Keefe's time and willingness to be interviewed. Without her this project would not have been possible, and we hope to have done her narrative justice. We are also thankful for the work of the Arab-American Project, which has underpinned this project's work from its inception.