Speakers, panels on Gaza and politics showcase ADC “ArabCon” Convention in Dearborn Sept. 12 – 15
ADC is proud to announce that The Honorable Nina Turner will be joining us at ArabCon in Dearborn, MI. Ms. Turner will be delivering Special Closing Plenary Keynote Remarks on the evening of Friday September 13.
This dynamic, multi-day (September 12-15) gathering will foster unity and empowerment within the Arab American community, while building alliances with our partners. Over the course of the conference, we will engage in discussions, and collaborate on strategies for positive change.
The Honorable Nina Turner is the founder of We Are Somebody, a capacity building organization for the working class. She is a hell-raising humanitarian, thought leader and Senior Fellow at The New School Institute on Race, Power, and Political Economy.
She served on Senator Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaigns as a national surrogate in 2016 and national co-chair in 2020. A former Ohio State Senator, she continues to fight tirelessly to advance policy that improves the material conditions of working people across the United States of America and has also taken that message abroad to the United Kingdom.
Full access registration packages are only $159, and that includes the Saturday Evening Gala with special guests Dr. Cornel West, Mayor Abdulla Hammoud, Nina Turner, Rula Jebreal, Macklemore, and other surprises to be announced soon.
ADC has also opened registration for students at no cost, and special rates for non-profit organizations and vendors. To inquire further please email ADC MI Coordinator Ms. Suehaila Amen to amen@adc.org.
If you plan on coming in from out of town, please note that hotels are booking up fast. Panels and sessions will be held at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center, located at 15801 Michigan Ave, Dearborn, MI 48126. Two hotels in very close vicinity of the conference center are:
The Henry Autograph Collection, Dearborn, MI –
The Holiday Inn, Dearborn, MI – Click here to reserve
ArabCon 2024, set to take place in Dearborn, Michigan, from September 12-15, is excited to announce a series of dynamic panels that will explore critical issues affecting the Arab-American community and focus on building alliances with other marginalized groups. These panels bring together experts, activists, journalists, elected officials, and community leaders to discuss and address the challenges and opportunities to build bridges, collaborate on strategies for positive change and advance civil rights and equality.
Full access registration – including the gala dinner on Saturday evening – is only $159.
Registration is now open and can be accessed by clicking here.
Thursday, September 12
Friday, September 13
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In a world where truth is often the first casualty of war, journalism stands as a critical line of defense against the suppression of facts. At least 100 journalists have been targeted and killed since the start of the genocide— an alarming and tragic testament to the dangers faced by those who dare to report the truth in Gaza.
In the United States, journalists face significant challenges in overcoming censorship and disinformation. Al Jazeera Fault Lines’ Executive Producer, Laila Al-Arian, and Said Arikat of Al-Quds Newspaper, and Ryan Grim of Drop Site
News will join ADC’s Valentina Pereda to discuss the unique challenges journalists in Gaza and the United States face when reporting in a deeply censored and hostile environment.
Dissenters of the Biden-Harris Administration discuss their career-changing decisions to leave their positions in the federal government over the U.S. financial and material support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Join Tariq Habash, former policy advisor in the U.S. Department of Education; Harrison Mann, former U.S. Army Major; Mohammed Abu Hashem, former U.S. Air Force First Sergeant; and Maryam Hassanein, former political appointee in the Department of the Interior in this captivating conversation with those who have risked all to honor the values.
Campaign and organizing veterans Linda Sarsour, Manal Fakhoury, and Mohammed Maraqa speak to ADC’s National Executive Director, Abed Ayoub, on the political realities faced by Arab
American voters in this critical election. How do we continue to fight for the liberation of Palestine while defending our rights in the United States in the face of ongoing censorship and political challenges?
Speakers will provide insight on how Arab American communities and the anti-war coalition must continue to organize well beyond November’s elections, and what must be done to secure power in the current political landscape.
Saturday, September 14
In a time of global censorship, the power of testimony becomes a vital tool for truth and justice. In this panel, Doctors Against Genocide share their firsthand experiences providing care to Palestinians in Gaza – the deadliest war in modern times.
Arab American elected officials from across the country will join ADC’s Abed Ayoub to discuss the critical work that happens at the state and local levels of government.
While Washington DC politics often dominates the newscycle, most of the work that impacts the quality of our daily lives is decided by the 99% of local and state offices, nationwide.
As students head back to their campuses across the country, this panel will convene Arab American members of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at various universities to discuss preparing for and responding to increased repression and violent crackdowns on student activism.
Students will share their experiences organizing under the SJP banner, navigating the challenges of mobilizing peers, and facing the harsh realities of state and institutional repression.
Zayna Jadallah from Wayne State University, Salma Hamamy from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor, and Ali Allam, President of Student Government at UM Ann Arbor will discuss how to maintain momentum built up during the Gaza solidarity encampments in the Spring of 2024. Moderating this discussion is Dr. Nancy Khalil, a distinguished scholar on Palestine and a dedicated advocate for human rights.
Dr. Finkelstein is a political scientist, author, and activist known for his critical analysis of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and U.S. foreign policy. He is widely recognized for his influential books, The Holocaust Industry and Gaza: An Inquest into Its Martyrdom, which challenge prevailing narratives about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Sunday, September 15
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Palestinian women have been, and continue to be, pivotal figures throughout the 76+ years of resistance to occupation. In this conversation, panelists will share their experiences, insights, and strategies in confronting adversity, fostering community resilience, and advancing the cause of Palestinian liberation.
This year’s convention comes at a critical moment in the history of Arab Americans. Whether it’s exercising our freedom of speech to label and criticize genocide and apartheid, exercising our freedom to peacefully assemble and protest at institutions of higher learning, or fighting for the freedom to live without fear of being violently targeted for your identity– Arab American communities have been at the forefront of fighting for equal enforcement of civil liberties for all citizens. It is our duty to seize this moment for what it is: a national political reckoning on American foreign policy towards the Arab World, made possible mainly by Palestinian and Arab American advocates refusing to be silenced in the face of a genocide. We are excited to usher in this moment with a lineup of powerful voices of peace, justice, and freedom.
Registration is now open and can be accessed by clicking here.
For information about sponsorships please click here.
To register as a vendor, please click here.
For Press inquiries/registration, please click here.
Visit ArabCon.org to check out the program.
General Information:
Tickets: Visit ArabCon.org
Venue: Ford Performing Arts Center Ballroom
About ADC: The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is the nation’s largest Arab American civil rights organization. ADC is committed to defending the rights of people of Arab descent and promoting their rich cultural heritage.
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Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
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