I decided not to attend the 2023 awards ceremony for the Great Lakes Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences because I had already committed to teach at an NEH institute just two days after, and I promised myself I would no longer do back-to-back business trips. So, I stayed at home and watched the live stream from Cleveland.

I tried not to get my hopes up. Even though the film had been nominated in five categories, I knew how these things go. It was good that I went in with low expectations, too, since the project lost in the first two categories for which it was nominated.

But that made the win for Best Historical Documentary all the more unexpected and thrilling. We all screamed when it was announced. Becky Fisher, the producer, sent me a picture of the Emmy from backstage.

The documentary then went on to win in the other two categories for which it was nominated: Best Writer (Becky Fisher and me) and Best Editor (Cory Fisher). Becky and Cory gave gracious speeches acknowledging the generosity of the many Arab American community members who made the work possible.

The film will continue to stream on PBS for the foreseeable future. More information about the documentary is available at the project website. Its many financial supporters are listed here. I am grateful I could tell this one story about our community, and I hope it inspires others to tell many more.