| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 2020 US Census:[1] 91,288 Yemeni-born, 2023[2] 71,471 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| New York,Michigan,Virginia,Illinois,California | |
| Languages | |
| Arabic •English | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Arab Americans •Yemenis in the United Kingdom |
| Lists of Americans |
|---|
| By U.S. state |
| By ethnicity |
Yemeni Americans areAmericans ofYemeni ancestry. According to an estimate in 2020, more than 90,000 Yemenis live in the United States.
Although it is unknown when Yemenis first arrived, it is believed that Yemenis were immigrating to the U.S. after 1869, and are recorded in the 1890s. Some Yemenis gained U.S. citizenship by fighting inWorld War I andWorld War II. Yemeni immigrants settled in existingLebanese communities in cities likeNew York. They were outcast as Muslims, as the Lebanese communities were predominantly Christian, as wereSyrian andPalestinian communities. After becoming situated, many Yemenis traveled westward for better job opportunities.[3] In many places of United States, such asChicago,Brooklyn (New York), andSouth Dearborn (Michigan), the first Yemeni entrepreneurs were owners of cafes and delis (a well-known example being internet personality Khalid Attaf).[4] However, these companies are not characteristic of Yemeni culture, and it is likely that they have been owners of cafes under the influence of Lebanese and Palestinian communities longer.[5]Many Yemeni-Americans also worked in factories in theRust Belt of the upper Northeast and Midwest. During the Great Depression of 1929 and until 1945, end of World War II, Yemeni immigration to United States slowed dramatically. Immigration then increased afterward. When in 1965 the quota system for immigration was eliminated, Yemenis could more easily gain visas to reside in and gain employment in the United States. This prompted a great increase in the numbers of Yemeni immigrants. Another feature of Yemeni immigrants in the U.S. is that in the years of immigration that occurred to 1970, nearly all immigrants from Yemen were adult males.[3]
Although the overwhelming majority of Yemeni Americans are Muslim, there are also someAmerican Jews ofYemeni ancestry, mostly whose parents or ancestors came to the U.S. viaIsrael. Significant Yemeni communities exist inThe Bronx, New York (especially aroundMorris Park in an enclave calledLittle Yemen);Brooklyn, New York; theBuffalo metropolitan area (especially inLackawanna, New York);[6][7]Dearborn, Michigan;Hamtramck, Michigan;Falls Church, Virginia;Chicago, Illinois;Bakersfield, California;Oakland, California; andFresno, California. Over 30,000 Yemeni Americans live in Michigan. A significant population of Yemeni Americans live in the southside ofDearborn (Salina area). A few Yemenis had arrived in Michigan around 1900 but a much larger group came to work in theFord Motor Company'sRouge Plant in the 1920s.[8] Immigration to Michigan is still occurring. A survey of Arab Americans in the Detroit area after9/11 found that Yemenis made up 9% of the area's Arab population and that Yemenis had the largest families, the lowest rate of business ownership (3% compared to 20% for other Arab groups), and a high rate of employment in "trades" as opposed to services, administration, professional or sales (43 percent in trades compared to 7 to 17 percent for other Arabs groups).[9] Anthropologist Loukia K. Sarroub while investigating the Dearborn Yemeni culture through the perspective of 6 high-school age girls noted that the community was a "'Yemeni village' in the United States" where "this community continued to live much as they did in Yemen".[10]
Sally Howell, author of Howell, "Competing for Muslims: New Strategies for Urban Renewal in Detroit", wrote that Yemeni people had a presence in theMetro Detroit area since the late 1960s and "they have participated more actively in transnational practices than have other Arab Americans".[11]
Yemeni Americans speak both English and Arabic. They speak many different dialects of Arabic, including: Sanaani orNorthern Yemeni dialect,Ta'izzi-Adeni or Southern Yemeni dialect,Hadrami dialect,Mehri dialect, andJudeo-Yemeni dialect. Most of them areMuslim,[3] though some are alsoJewish.
Yemeni Americans have supported the Democratic Party in recent elections. Majority of the community backed Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election and Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.[12] In recent years, Yemeni Americans have become more politically active and have increasingly run for political offices.[13] Several Yemeni American politicians have won local and state elections.[14][15]
TheYemeni American Net was established in June 2007 as a web-site dedicated to bring a view to the world on the Yemeni Americans. One year later, a newspaper was established as the Yemeni American News. The American Association of Yemeni Scientists and Professionals promotes Yemenis in technical fields and provides a college scholarship program.[16] The Yemeni American Association and the Yemeni American Benevolent Association also provide scholarships.[17][18]
The Yemenite Jewish Federation of America was founded in 1995. American Yemeni Jews took an active role in rescuing European Jews during the holocaust.[19][20]
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| See also | |
Arab Americans by state of origin | ||
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| Asia | ||
| By location | ||
Based onstate membership in theArab League. | ||
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| History | ||
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