Anaheim, CA | adc.org | September 19, 2023 – We are delighted to announce that Dr. Laila Al-Marayati has been selected as this year’s esteemed recipient of the ADC Dr. Raymond Jallow Lifetime Achievement Award. Presented annually, this award recognizes individuals who have showcased extraordinary leadership and have carved out remarkable success throughout their careers.
Dr. Al-Marayati has made significant progress for the Arab and Muslim communities, fostering engagement, promoting social justice, and advocating for marginalized groups. She has dedicated much of her work to addressing issues pivotal to Muslim women, including women’s rights in Islam, reproductive health, sexuality, stereotyping, and violence against women.
The Alex Odeh Award will be presented during the Annual Alex Odeh Banquet, part of the 2023 Alex Odeh Memorial Conference, October 6th – 7th in Anaheim, CA. The Banquet will be held on the evening of Saturday October 7th at the Delta.
Click here now to learn more and register for the upcoming Conference and Banquet.
We hope you can join us in Anaheim this October.
Take a moment and register by clicking here.
The Conference will be held at the Delta Hotels Anaheim Garden Grove located at 12021 Harbor Boulevard Garden Grove, California 92840. ADC has secured a special room rate of $169 for out-of-town guests. Click here to take advantage of the special rate and reserve your room now!
If you are interested in sponsoring the conference, please send an email to [email protected]for additional information.
About the Awardee
Dr. Laila Al-Marayati
Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, of Palestinian-American descent, has been a prominent activist within the American Arab and Muslim communities for many years. She has dedicated much of her work to addressing issues pivotal to Muslim women, including women’s rights in Islam, reproductive health, sexuality, stereotyping, and violence against women.
In the early 1990s, she led the Muslim Women’s League’s initiatives to support rape survivors from the Bosnian war. Furthering her commitment to women’s issues, she was a distinguished member of the official US Delegation to the UN Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995. Dr. Al-Marayati’s advocacy did not go unnoticed at the national level. Appointed by former President Bill Clinton, she served a two-year tenure on the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.
Dr. Al-Marayati chairs KinderUSA (Kids in Need of Development, Education, and Relief), a humanitarian non-profit dedicated to providing health, education, and other essential services to Palestinian children and their families in the West Bank, Gaza, and Lebanese refugee camps. Beyond this, she has been part of numerous medical missions, aiding refugees in Europe, serving indigent communities in Mexico and Peru, and assisting various populations in the Middle East.
Professionally, she holds the position of Assistant Clinical Professor at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and serves as a Division Chief in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Al-Marayati’s career emphasizes service to underserved communities.
She earned her MD from UC Irvine and a BS from UCLA. It was at UCLA that she met her husband, Salam Al-Marayati, the current president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council. Dr. Al-Marayati proudly remembers her late father, Dr. Sabri El Farra, a revered figure in the Arab-American community.
We hope you can join us in Anaheim this October.
Take a moment and register by clicking here.
The Conference will be held at the Delta Hotels Anaheim Garden Grove located at 12021 Harbor Boulevard Garden Grove, California 92840. ADC has secured a special room rate of $169 for out-of-town guests. Click here to take advantage of the special rate and reserve your room now!
If you are interested in sponsoring the conference, please send an email to [email protected]for additional information.