Los Angeles County contains a community ofPalestinian Americans.[1]
There are about 15,000 Palestinians inGreater Los Angeles.
The first wave of Palestinian migration to the United States occurred in 1908 when theOttoman Empire began mandating military service for Palestinians.[1]The second wave came after the1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight during the1948 Palestine war.[1][2] This expulsion or flight, which displaced more than 700,000 people, is known by Palestinians as theNakba. The third and largest wave occurred in 1967 as a result of theSix-Day War in Israel. Although the majority of Palestinian immigrants settled on the East Coast, economic opportunity brought large concentrations of Palestinians to Los Angeles.[1]
No reliable immigration or census figures exist for Palestinian Americans. The count of Palestinian-Americans is complicated by the lack of a Middle East origin box to check on Census forms, leading the majority of Palestinians to self report as "white."[3] The population of thePalestinian diaspora in California is estimated to be 57,222 (after adjusting for undercounting), of which approximately 15,000 live in Los Angeles County.[4] Foreign born Palestinians in Los Angeles County originate mostly from Asia and the Middle East, followed by Latin America.[5]
In the 1970s, a series of terrorist attacks took place against prominent Palestinian-American activists and institutions, culminating in the murder of anti-discrimination activistAlex Odeh inSanta Ana in 1985.[6] In 1987, eight Palestinians were arrested in Los Angeles. They were charged under an antiquated anti-communism law called theMcCarran-Walter Act that accused them of "supporting an organization that advocated world communism" for their possible association with thePopular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.[7] According to theACLU, the eight were "prosecuted for ideas, beliefs and thoughts of a magazine for which none have been writers or editors.”[8]
As of 2010, there were 1,793 Palestinians over the age of 16 living in the Los Angeles County area, 65% of whom were in the labor force (employed or seeking employment).[5] The unemployment rate at this time was 2.8%: much lower than the national average for the USA.[5] The majority of Palestinians in LA work in the private sector (65% of workers), with 18.4% employed by the Government and 10.2% self-employed.[5] The management, business, science and arts sector employs the highest percentage of Palestinians in LA, followed by sales and office work.[5] Based on the 893 total households included in 2010 US Census data, the mean household income for Palestinians in LA County was $96,729: higher than the national average for the USA.[5]
The majority of Palestinians in LA enrolled in school attend elementary school, followed by graduate school and college. 46.8% of the Palestinian Diaspora in LA over 25 years old hold a bachelor's degree or higher and 89.6% are educated to high school level or higher.[5]
The Palestinian diaspora in Los Angeles has a variety of organizations and institutional groups.
Political organizations with chapters in Los Angeles include: Al-Awda, dedicated to thePalestinian right of return,[9] Palestinian American Women's Association, which works toward the empowerment and education of Arab American women and children,[10] andAmerican Muslims for Palestine, which works toward educating people about Palestine in order to motivate changes in US foreign policy regarding Palestine.[11]
Los Angeles County also has humanitarian relief organizations such as: Palestinian Children's relief, a non profit which focuses on providing medical relief and aid for younger Palestinians in the Middle East,[12] and Islamic Relief which provides humanitarian aid to communities after disasters.[13]
| Latin American |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Black/African | ||
| Asian | ||
| Middle Eastern | ||
| Europeans | ||
| Native Americans | ||
| Other | ||
