Dr. Mona Hanna sits in her office in Flint. Jake May | jmay2@mlive.com
FLINT, MI - National Arab American Heritage Month will happen in April.
This is an opportunity to recognize the significant contributions of Arab Americans across various regions.
In the Flint area, several Arab Americans have made notable impacts in various fields.
Here are some prominent figures that should be recognized and celebrated.
Ghassan and Manal Saab
Ghassan Saab and Manal Saab are CEOs of Sorensen Gross Company, a major construction services organization in Flint.
Ghassan Saab founded Uptown Development Group, dedicated to revitalizing the city’s downtown area.
Manal Saab serves on the Board of Trustees with the Community Foundation of Greater Flint, coordinating responses to crises like the Flint water crisis.
The Saabs lead their own charitable organization, the Ghassan and Manal Saab Foundation, which led the delivery of over $50 million in medical supplies to Lebanon following the tragic blast at the port of Beirut, where they are from.
The Saabs are also founding members of the national professional advisory board of the Center for Arab American Philanthropy.
Ghassan Saab and Manal Saab have been recognized for their philanthropic efforts locally and internationally.
Hamady Brothers
The Hamady family, of Lebanese descent, significantly influenced Flint’s retail landscape.
Hamady Brothers was founded in 1911, by Lebanese immigrant cousins Michael and Kamol Hamady, who referred to themselves as brothers.
At its peak, Hamady Brothers operated 37 stores in the Flint area.
The company became known by sending truckloads of food to strikers during the 1937 Sit-Down strike at General Motors’ Fisher Body plant that gave rise to the United Auto Workers union, according to supermarketnews.com.
The stores were famous for their quality products, friendly service, and the iconic “Hamady sack,” a term locals used for paper grocery bags.
Although the company eventually closed in the late 1990s, the Hamady name remains a significant part of Flint’s history and Arab American contributions to the community.
Dr. Mona Hanna
A pediatrician of Iraqi descent, Dr. Hanna played a pivotal role in uncovering the Flint water crisis by bringing attention to elevated lead levels in children’s blood.
Her advocacy has had a profound impact on public health policies and awareness.
Dr. Hanna confronted public officials and politicians during the water crisis who claimed that the city’s water was safe to drink despite rising levels of lead.
Her 2015 study of the blood lead levels of Flint kids showed the percentage of children with elevated blood lead levels doubled after the city changed its water source to the Flint River during parts of 2014 and 2015.
Dr. Hanna is a Charles Stewart Mott-endowed professor of public health and director of the Pediatric Public Health Initiative at Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine.
She is the author of “What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City.”
Dr. Hanna is among USA TODAY’s 2025 Women of the Year and was named one of TIME’s most influential people.
Dr. Abdelmajid Jondy
Dr. Abdelmajid Jondy was raised in the rural south of Syria and dreamed of being a doctor.
Through intense perseverance, and driven by his values, he pursued an education and was awarded a scholarship to study medicine.
His story with Flint begins when he immigrated to the city on Jan. 1, 1972.
Dr. Jondy later joined Hurley Hospital where he noticed trauma surgery was developing.
With trauma surgery, there was a wide range of options for him to pursue––from bones and fractures to hips and hands.
Hurley welcomed Dr. Jondy with open arms and offered him a contract, beginning what would become a 50-year journey with the city’s healthcare system.
Dr. Michael Jaggi, chairman of the ER and chief medical officer at Hurley, worked closely with Dr. Jondy since 1996.
He credits Dr. Jondy for being one of the earliest surgeons to put Hurley on the map for trauma care. He helped build the foundation and saw it mature over 50 years.
He is also president of the Flint Islamic Center, the largest mosque in Genesee County.
Dr. Jondy retired in 2022 and the Jondy name around Genesee County is recognizable to just about anyone in the area.
Read more about his life here.
Arab American Heritage Council
While not an individual, this organization has been instrumental in advocating for Arab Americans in the Flint area.
They offer services related to citizenship, language, cultural education, and advocacy, addressing challenges such as government surveillance concerns within the community.
Visit the Arab American Heritage Council’s website here.
