Washington: Nearly 400 Arab American leaders and activists joined civil rights activists and representatives of the Biden administration to commemorate the 43rd anniversary of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee over the weekend in Washington, D.C.
Attorney for civil rights Ben Crump, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, Congressman Sam Rasoul of Virginia, and Jim Moran, who supported Arab American rights in Congress from 1991 to 2015, were among the dozens of speakers who addressed the three-day conference.
Crump referred to Arab Americans as "brothers and sisters in the struggle for civil rights," and he urged the ADC to keep up its civil rights campaign for equality despite obstacles that aim to "undermine" their rights.
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When I was a young boy, my grandmother instilled in me the importance of speaking truth to power. Crump, who has defended the families of numerous well-known US victims of police brutality, including George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, as well as Flint, Michigan residents who were harmed by the Flint River's tainted waters, said it doesn't matter if people say it's controversial, unpopular, or inconvenient.
In "a war against the enemies of equality," Crump continued, African Americans and Arab Americans are engaged.
Moran stated that American influence in the region is "waning" and added, "I don't think the US has provided the kind of leadership that we're capable of providing," during a panel discussion on changes in the Arab world and the role of the Biden administration.
"We've engaged in the region for three reasons," he said. Energy was the main concern; we had to make sure we could get enough oil. We wanted to compete in the Cold War, which is the second reason. Israel is the third justification. I believe that a lot of the things we've done were done for the wrong reasons.
Dima Khalidi, the director of Palestine Legal, who keeps an eye on Israeli abuses of human rights in Israel and the Occupied Territories, was among the other speakers.
Khalidi informed the crowd that 35 US states now have laws in place that penalise individuals for continuing to support boycott calls against Israel.
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Huwaida Arraf, the founder of the International Solidarity Movement, which has criticised Israel's treatment of Palestinians as second-class citizens, described how she came under fire for being "antisemitic" after defending Palestinian rights in passing during a speech at Detroit's Bloomfield High School.
Arraf, who last year ran successfully for the US Congress in Michigan, claimed that two of the high school's top administrators were fired as a result of the criticism.
The Biden administration is dedicated to defending the rights of all Americans, including Arabs and Muslims, Mayorkas stated in a speech that was delivered via video.
Abed Ayoub, president of ADC, and Safa Rifka, chairman of the board, provided details on the organization's plans to increase its advocacy, including the establishment of student chapters at universities and colleges to protect the rights of Arab students who have become the target of pro-Israel attacks and censorship.
They also declared the establishment of a new scholarship in public affairs in memory of the late US senator James Abourezk, who established the ADC.
In addition to launching a programme to assist Arab American-owned businesses qualify for federal contracts, Rifka and Ayoub announced that the organisation is seeking to build a new Cultural and Heritage Centre in Washington, D.C., similar to the Minority Business Enterprises laws that reserve billions in contract awards for designated minority groups.
During the ceremony, the ADC presented Crump with the Defender of Justice Award and Qatar with the Exemplary Achievement Award for hosting the 2022 World Cup, which was accepted by the nation's US Ambassador, Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad Al-Thani.
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The State of Qatar has established a new benchmark for hosting international events while preserving and advancing the core of Arab culture, according to Rifka.
We're overjoyed to present them with the Exemplary Achievement Award because of their commitment to promoting harmony and cross-cultural understanding within the Arab community.
A dabkeh troupe and Michigan stand-up comedian Amer Zahr provided the entertainment.