ADC Welcomes Gina Aranki to Board of Directors as Organization Expands Legal Mission

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 21, 2026

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Washington, D.C. | The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) announced the appointment of Gina Aranki, a veteran nonprofit executive with decades of experience in organizational leadership, development, and public service, to its Board of Directors.

Aranki joins ADC at a pivotal moment in the organization’s nearly five-decade history. Since October 7, 2023, ADC has confronted an escalating set of threats targeting Arab Americans and supporters of Palestinian rights, as government agencies, universities, elected officials, and private organizations have increasingly used laws and institutional policies to restrict speech, punish dissent, and challenge constitutionally protected activity. In response, ADC has placed strategic impact litigation at the center of its mission.

“ADC has spent nearly half a century as a pillar of the Arab American community, defending our rights through some of the most consequential moments in our history,” said Dr. Safa Rifka, National Chairman of ADC. “Today, we are building on that legacy by expanding ADC into an even stronger legal force capable of taking on major constitutional battles nationwide. Gina brings decades of experience building and strengthening institutions, and that expertise will be invaluable as we grow ADC’s capacity, reach, and impact.”

“The cases we litigate on Palestine, freedom of speech, search and seizure, and government overreach may begin as individual violations, but left unchecked they become the seeds of a cancer that poisons our democracy and the very institutions meant to protect us,” said Jenin Younes, ADC President and Legal Director. “Our work is about stopping that erosion before it becomes entrenched.”

Aranki has spent 25 years with Child & Family Services of Northwestern Michigan, including nine years as Executive Director and 16 years leading development, fundraising, marketing, and grant writing. Her career has also included public service at the federal and local levels, as well as an appointment to the Michigan Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

“Civil rights have been at the core of my career and public service, beginning with my appointment to the Michigan Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights,” said Gina Aranki. “But those rights can only be protected when the organizations fighting for them have the resources, structure, and institutional strength to sustain that work. ADC is one of the nation’s most established Arab American civil rights institutions, with nearly half a century of history behind it. I look forward to helping strengthen and elevate this pillar of the Arab American community, particularly as ADC expands its legal mission under the leadership of seasoned litigator Jenin Younes and her team.”

That shift is already visible in ADC’s growing litigation docket, which now spans some of the most consequential civil rights fights facing Americans. Among ADC’s current cases are Blumenthal v. Mullin, challenging the government’s seizure and attempted forensic search of journalist Max Blumenthal’s phones; Chertok v. City of Medford, defending residents seeking to preserve a values-aligned local investment ordinance; Pacheco v. City of Miami Beach, a First Amendment challenge arising from government action against a resident over protected political speech; and Kupsh v. Regents of the University of California, involving UCLA’s treatment of a PhD student engaged in pro-Palestine activism.

Aranki’s appointment comes as ADC continues to expand the legal and organizational capacity needed to pursue constitutional litigation nationwide.

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About ADC

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is the largest Arab American civil rights organization in the United States, founded in 1980 by former Senator James Abourezk. ADC takes on powerful institutions and interests that threaten Americans’ constitutional rights and civil liberties. Our impact litigation and legal advocacy challenge government overreach, defend freedom of speech and dissent, and protect the rights guaranteed by the Constitution. ADC also works with national and international media to challenge discrimination, stereotypes, and misinformation, while ensuring Arab American perspectives are represented accurately and meaningfully in public debate.