Washington, DC | June 14, 2007 | www.adc.org | The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is proud to have had over 2,400 people participate during the 2007 Annual National Convention. This year‘s Convention had distinguished attendees such as HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of UAE Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Charge d‘Affaires of the Embassy of Qatar, Sheikh Ali Bin Jassim Al-Thani, , and Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to the US, HE Hunaina Sultan Ahmed Al Mughairy. The keynote speaker of the Saturday Gala Banquet Dinner was Wade Henderson, President and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), an organization of more than 192 national organizations, representing persons of color, women, children, labor unions, individuals with disabilities, older Americans, major religious groups, gays and lesbians and civil liberties and human rights groups.
Public officials and figures who participated included Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE), Chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Gov. Howard Dean, Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN), Congressman John Conyers (D-MI), Congressman Nick Rahall (D-WV), Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), former Senator Mike Gravel (D-AK), and former Congressman Paul Findley (R-IL).
CNN covered the Sunday Luncheon titled “Celebrate Women! Honoring the Achievements of Women.” Awardees at the event included journalist Helen Thomas, and National Public Radio (NPR) talk show host Diane Rehm, HE Hunaina Sultan Ahmed Al Mughairy, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), consumer advocate and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader, and the founder and president of the International Women‘s Democracy Center (IWDC) Barbara Ann Ferris.
The ADC Annual Civil Rights Awards lunch during the Convention was covered by C-SPAN and included Massachusetts Homeland Security Chief Juliette Kayyem, President and CEO of LCCR Wade Henderson, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People‘s (NAACP) Hilary O. Shelton, and Assistant Director in-Charge of the FBI‘s Washington Field Office Joseph Persichini, among others.
Media coverage of the Convention was not limited to C-SPAN and CNN, as numerous publications, television, and radio stations from American, Arab, and French news agencies were present. Included among these were Al-Jazeera, Al-Arabiya, and Agence France Press (AFP).
The Convention, titled “Toward a More Perfect Union,” included panels and work shops on many different issues including the ongoing war in Iraq, Islamophobia in the media, federal employment, making it in entertainment, discrimination against Arab Americans, growing up as an Arab Americans, and the realities of the occupation in Palestine.
One of the most anticipated events was the release of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee-Research Institute‘s (ADC-RI) landmark report “Eyewitness Lebanon: July — August 2006, An International Law Inquiry.” The report is intended to serve as an educational resource, and a comprehensive reference for the academic and legal communities, including students. The Report is based on extensive research from a wide variety of documented sources and includes first-hand interviews and accounts carried out by ADC-RI during a month-long fact finding mission. The framework for the Report‘s legal inquiry is international law and international humanitarian law, also known as “the laws of war.” The panel discussion that followed the report‘s release was heavily attended and covered by multiple national and international media outlets.
ADC is also proud to have had the DC premiere of Dr. Jack Shaheen‘s documentary film “Reel Bad Arabs” during the Annual Convention. The groundbreaking 50-minute documentary examines a long line of negative stereotypes of Arabs, an aspect of cinematic history that has run virtually unchallenged from the earliest days of silent film to today‘s biggest Hollywood blockbusters.
For more information about the Convention, contact ADC. Click on the following links to see some of the extensive media coverage of this year‘s Annual National Convention:
The Washington Post:
• “At Conference, Exploring What it Means to be Arab American”:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2007/06/09/AR2007060901233.html
United Press International (UPI):
• “Arab Group: Israel Excessive in Lebanon”:
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2007/06/10/arab_group_israel_excessive_in_lebanon/2047/
Reuters News Agency:
• “FBI in Public Appeal to Muslims, Arab-Americans”: http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN1330890120070613
The US Department of State:
• “Arab-American Group Salutes the Achievements of Women”:
http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2007&m=June&x=20070613161636hplar0.9401361
The Detroit Free Press:
-“Arab Americans Urged to Action”: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007706100580
-“Israel Broke Law, Report Asserts”: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007706090301
The Detroit News:
-“American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee Calls for Investigation of Israeli Military Operation”: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007706100317
-“ADC Convention Highlights Difficulties Encountered by Those of Arab Heritage”: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007706100355
-“Michigan Arab-American Activists Join Protest Rally at U.S. Capitol”: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007706100362
• “Arab American Convention Debates War in Iraq”:
http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=doc&p_docid=119BF566875E0450&p_docnum=7&p_theme=gannett&s_site=detnews&p_product=DTNB
The Khaleej Times:
-“Award a Tribute to Mohammed‘s Vision”: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?section=theuae&xfile=data/theuae/2007/june/theuae_june331.xml
-“Successful Leader”: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?section=editorial&xfile=data/editorial/2007/june/editorial_june24.xml
-“Leadership Award for Mohammed”: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?section=theuae&xfile=data/theuae/2007/june/theuae_june278.xml
Bernama, The Malaysian National News Agency:
• “UAE‘s VP Receives Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee Award”: http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news.php?id=266719