This week marks the end of an era. Rashid Khalidi, the Palestinian-American historian who spent decades reshaping how the world sees Palestine, has retired from Columbia University.
For many in the Arab and Muslim American community — especially here in Dearborn — Khalidi was more than just a professor. He was a lighthouse. A voice in elite institutions who spoke the language of our lived history. A man who refused to let Palestine be reduced to a footnote.
Khalidi’s work wasn’t just academic. It was personal.
His books — especially The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine — didn’t just tell stories, they gave us the tools to defend our own.
📚 He challenged Western narratives.
🧠 He empowered Arab youth with history.
🎤 He made space in Ivy League classrooms for voices long silenced.
His retirement is a reminder that this fight — for truth, for justice, for memory — is now ours to carry.
As we scroll through social media, organize fundraisers, challenge biased headlines, or simply tell our kids stories about jiddo’s village — we are continuing Khalidi’s legacy.
“The past is not dead. It’s not even past.”
– Rashid Khalidi (quoting Faulkner)
To Professor Khalidi: thank you for making our story impossible to ignore. Your work gave Dearborn — and the whole diaspora — a map, a mirror, and a mission.
The classroom may be quiet now, but the movement is louder than ever.
Dearborn Blog 