By Ben Bennett

“It’s just a Palestinian’s addiction. You just know [when] you go to your parents’ house, you’ll have a couple big jugs of homemade olive oil.”

By Gawhara Abou-eid

All evening, the sold-out venue felt like a citywide inside joke finally getting told out loud. 

By Elissa Odeh

“It’s one thing to go to protests and give presentations, but to be able to help my people through henna — and for this business to be recognized as advocacy, as power for the people — that’s something truly meaningful.”

By Kenza Bousseloub

At three cafés in South Philadelphia, North African men gather for coffee, company and Kabyle music.

By Gawhara Abou-eid

“When performed with authenticity, raqs sharqi becomes a form of empowerment, an act of reclaiming the beauty and strength of the feminine and honoring the deep humanity that this dance expresses.”

By Ben Bennett

The 2030 census will include a new racial category: ‘MENA’. Until then, these interactive maps, based on data from the Pew Research Center, show where some of Philadelphia’s SWANA communities have settled.