Washington, DC |August 26, 2009| www.adc.org | Today the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) mourns the loss of Senator Edward Kennedy who died early this morning after a battle with brain cancer at the age 77.
Senator Kennedy was a lifelong champion for civil rights and social justice during his public service. He played an important role on the Judiciary Committee to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Since his early days in the Senate, Senator Kennedy played a significant role in a plethora of legislation that helped the disadvantaged. Along with children‘s health care and women‘s rights, Senator Kennedy also intervened on behalf of Arab-Americans on a number of occasions. Currently, legislation authored by Senator Kennedy to curb Hate Crimes is before the Senate. He was also a staunch critic of post-9/11 surveillance policies which were thought to violate constitutional rights and liberties.
For his outstanding achievements, ADC this year selected him to receive the ADC Trailblazer Award. ADC President Mary Rose Oakar said “I had the distinguished honor of serving in the US Congress along with Senator Kennedy and I am very saddened by this loss. While I was in Congress I served with him on a bipartisan commission for 18 months on health care, an issue he cared about deeply, and should health reform legislation pass this year it will be in large part because of his tireless efforts. On a number of occasions, the Senator was helpful to the Arab-American community and always held ADC in high regard. Our country and the lives of all Americans are better off because of his lifelong public service.”
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NOTE TO EDITORS: The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), which is non sectarian and non partisan, is the largest Arab-American civil rights organization in the United States. It was founded in 1980, by former Senator James Abourezk to protect the civil rights of people of Arab descent in the United States and to promote the cultural heritage of the Arabs. ADC has 38 chapters nationwide, including chapters in every major city in the country, and members in all 50 states.
The ADC Research Institute (ADC-RI), which was founded in 1981, is a Section 501(c)(3) educational organization that sponsors a wide range of programs on behalf of Arab Americans and of importance to all Americans. ADC-RI programs include research studies, seminars, conferences and publications that document and analyze the discrimination faced by Arab Americans in the workplace, schools, media, and governmental agencies and institutions. ADC-RI also celebrates the rich cultural heritage of the Arabs.
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Contact: Yousef Munayyer
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee | www.adc.org
1732 Wisconsin Ave., NW | Washington, DC | 20007
Tel: 202-244-2990 | Fax: 202-244-7968 | E-mail: media@adc.org