The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), the nation's largest Arab-American civil rights organization, will host their 29th Annual National Convention from June 12-14 at the Hyatt Regency Washington Hotel on Capitol Hill. The theme for this year's Convention is "From The Grassroots To The Nation's Capital: Change For Our Future". Democratic Congressmembers Keith Ellison (MN-05) and Donna Edwards (MD-04) have agreed to participate on seperate foreign policy panels at the event.
On Saturday morning June 13th, Congressman Ellison will be joining Professor John Mearshimer and Professor Saad Eddin Ibrahim on a panel titled "U.S. Foreign Policy In The Middle East". They will be discussing U.S. relations with the Arab and Muslim worlds, as well as questions about the Israeli/Arab conflict, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the role the U.S. should play in the Mid-East region. On Sunday morning June 14th, Congresswoman Edwards will headline a panel titled "The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Pathways To Peace?". She will be joined by Israeli Knesset Minister Said Naffaa and J-Street's Jeremy Ben Ami.
Congressman Keith Ellison: Congressman Ellison (MN-05) is the first Muslim American elected to congress. Recently Congressman Ellison joined the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and serves on the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia. He has consistently been an advocate for a just peace in the Middle East and posed important and tough questions as a committee member. Recently, Congressman Ellison along with congressional colleague Brian Baird (D-WA) travelled to Gaza after the war to view firsthand what had taken place. Upon their return, Congressman Baird and Ellison shared the stories of destruction with other members of congress and the public. Most recently, the Congressmen published an Opinion article in the Seattle Times titled "Time For U.S. To Insist On Real Changes in Israeli-Palestinian Relations" Congressman Ellison will discuss findings from his trip to Gaza during this panel.
Professor John Mearsheimer: Professor Mearsheimer is a renowned scholar of international relations and great power politics. He is currently the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science and the co-director of the Program on International Security Policy at the University of Chicago, where he has taught since 1982. Professor Mearsheimer, along with colleague Stephen Walt at Harvard University, sought to understand US support for Israel which is often against the US national interest. The resulting book, "The Israel Lobby And U.S. Foreign Policy", became a New York Times Bestseller and generated much discussion on the US role in the conflict and the region in general.
Professor Saad Eddin Ibrahim: Professor Ibrahim is the founder of the Ibn Khaldun Center for Development Studies in Cairo, Egypt, an independent research institution dedicated to promoting democratization and accountable government in the Middle East. Trained as a sociologist, Professor Ibrahim is well known for collections of critical essays, articles and books on Arab society and government. He is one of Egypt's leading human rights and democracy activists, and a strong critic of President Hosni Mubarak.
Congresswoman Donna Edwards: Congresswoman Donna Edwards (MD-04) was sworn in as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 110th Congress in June 2008, and began her first full-term in the 111th Congress in 2009. She is a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Science and Technology Committee. She also serves on the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. Previously she was the Executive Director of the Arca Foundation in Washington, D.C. where she worked on issues such as securing a "living wage" for working people, protecting social security, and promoting labor and human rights both nationally and internationally. She was also the co-founder and Executive Director of the National Network to End Domestic Violence where she led the effort to pass The Violence Against Women Act of 1994 that was signed into law by President Bill Clinton.
Knesset Member Said Naffaa: MK Said Naffaa was reelected to the Knesset in the recent Israel Parliamentary Elections. He initially joined the National Democratic Assembly/Balad Party, a Palestinian Arab party in Israel, in 1998. Having been raised in a patriotic Arab family in Beit Jann (Upper Galilee) MK Naffa refused to serve in the Israeli Army; a compulsory act required for members of the Arab Druze community to which he belongs. He was subsequently jailed for an extended period of time until his legal challenges prevailed and he was freed from his service in 1974. He went on to attend Tel-Aviv University Law School. As a lawyer, Said continued to serve the Arab community in general and the Druze community in particular. He held many public positions including Deputy Mayor and later Mayor of Beit Jann before being elected to the Knesset.
Jeremy Ben-Ami: Jeremy Ben-Ami had a 25-year career in government, politics and communications, here and in Israel before joining J Street. Jeremy has served in a number of senior government positions including as President Bill Clinton's Deputy Domestic Policy Adviser and Policy Director on Howard Dean's Presidential Campaign. He was most recently Senior Vice President at Fenton Communications. He also has served as the Communications Director for the New Israel Fund and started the Israeli firm, Ben-Or Communications while living in Israel in the late 1990s. Jeremy's father was born in Tel Aviv, and much of his family lives in Israel.
Those interested in registering for the Convention can do so here, call (202)244-2990, or e-mail convention@adc.org. The early bird rates have been reduced and people can register for the entire convention, including complete access to all events and meals, for only 199.00 before the deadline of April 30, 2009. The ADC has also secured a special hotel rate of 149.00 per night and can be accessed here or (202)737-1234 (mention code AAAA). Please consider attending this conference and ensure that Arab-Americans and their concerns, as diverse as those may be, are seen and heard in Washington, DC, and that Arab culture continues its positive contributions in the colorful mosaic of a nation we call our home.
