What is ADCMA?
The
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is a grassroots
civil rights organization based in Washington, DC which welcomes
people of all backgrounds, faiths, and ethnicities as members. The
local chapter of the ADC or ADCMA is committed to empowering Arab-Americans
to embrace their identity and advocate for their civil rights in
the state of Massachusetts. The ADCMA works towards this objective
through civil rights advocacy, educating the general American population
on Arab-American culture and issues, and by building community within
Arab-Americans in Massachusetts. For more information, please email
info@adcma.org
or call the office at (617) 262-8902.
Purpose, Vision, and Goals
ADC is committed to:
1. Empowering Arab
Americans;
2. Defending the civil rights of all people of Arab heritage in the United States;
3. Promoting civic participation;
4. Encouraging a balanced U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and;
5. Supporting freedom and development in the Arab World.
ADC, which is non-sectarian &
non-partisan, is the largest Arab-American grassroots organization in the
United States. It was founded in 1980 by former U.S. Senator James Abourezk
and has chapters nationwide.
ADC is at the forefront in combating
defamation and negative stereotyping of Arab
Americans in the media and
wherever else it is practiced. In doing so, it acts as an
organized framework
through which Arab Americans can channel their efforts toward
unified,
collective and effective advocacy; by promoting a more balanced U.S. Middle
East policy and serving as a reliable source for the news media and educators.
By
promoting cultural events and participating in community activities, ADC
has
made
great strides in correcting anti-Arab stereotypes and humanizing the image
of the
Arab people. In all these efforts, ADC coordinates closely with other
civil rights and
human rights organizations on issues of common concern.
Through its Legal Capacity Initiative,
ADCMA offers counseling in cases of discrimination
and defamation and selected
impact litigation in the areas of immigration and
discrimination.
ADCMA’s achievements, big and small, thus
far, demonstrate the success of Arab
Americans in building vibrant institutions
which not only draw on the strength of the
Arab American community, but also
engender the support of individuals and groups
who are equally committed
to
deterring discrimination against all people.
ADCMA Accomplishments
For a complete list of ADCMA
Accomplishments in 2004, click here.
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Current Board of Directors
Merrie Najimy- President
A second generation Arab American, Merrie teaches
elementary school in Concord, MA.
Currently she is the president of the local
ADC chapter, a founder of the Boston
Committee for Palestinian Rights, and an
ADC National Board Member. As a teacher,
she devotes
much of her time to creating an active anti-bias curriculum that she implements
with her students and trains teachers in anti-bias education. She is
committed
to building an effective ADC chapter that has permanency, bringing the Arab
American community together,
advocating for the civil rights of all who are
discriminated
against, and continuing to work with educators to help them
become effective advocates for Arab-American students.
Rima Al-Nasser Kayyali
Rima is Arab American and grew up in Jordan. She moved
to Boston eleven years ago
from Michigan where she went to graduate school. She
has been an active member of
the ADC steering committee for almost a year. She
is particularly interested in
strengthening Arab American identity in children
who live in Massachusetts, including
her own. In her role as a
Steering
Committee member and Cultural Organizer, she has
organized the ADCMA activities
for children; tabla lessons and a book club. She is hoping
that with the help
of ADC members and the Arab community, we can make our children
more aware and
proud of their rich cultural heritage.
Jeff Boshar
Jeff is a 2nd generation
Lebanese-American whose activism since 1984 includes past
officer and Board
membership in NAAA and ADC MA, active membership in the Boston
Coalition for
Palestinian Rights and current member of the ADC MA Steering Committee.
Jeff is a registered
rep with New England
Securities specializing in retirement planning
and investments.
Randa Shedid
Randa Shedid has been an attorney in the Boston area since 1997. She was born in Cairo, Egypt. She wrote about the development of Antiquities Laws in Egypt, for the purpose of a publication by the Center for Documentation of Cultural and Natural Heritage, CULTNAT, Cairo, Egypt. Before that she was employed by the ACLU for 6 years as the attorney responsible for incoming complaints. Shedid earned a J.D. from the New England School of Law and a law degree (Licence en Droit) from Cairo University Law School. She attained her undergraduate degree in Middle Eastern Studies from the American University in Cairo. Randa Shedid is currently a Commissioner at the Cambridge Human Rights Commission (CHRC), an active Board Member with the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee in Massachusetts (ADCMA) and a Founding Member of the Center for Arab Culture, Boston (CAC) and its Arabic School.
ADCMA
Committees
ADCMA currently has four
major committees, members and volunteers can be part of.
These
committees are still in their
inception phases and committee heads are always
looking for dedicated
volunteers to bolster ADCMA and the work we do.
- Legal Advocacy- With the creation of a legal intake and
advocacy program, ADCMA will be able to provide pro-bono ADCMA lawyers to
handle civil rights
and immigration cases, confront discrimination more systematically and document
case histories and successes. If you are a lawyer or law student and would be
interested in volunteering your time, contact ADCMA at 617-262-8902. - Cultural Committee- This committee focuses on bringing cultural
programming to
Boston where ADCMA will be a major sponsor. Cultural programming includes
writers, singers, intellectuals, dance troupes and others. For more information
and to answer any questions you may have, contact Rima Alnasser Kayyali at
rima.alnasser@verizon.net. - Outreach and Communications- Individuals with website experience,
community
organizing and outreach, and communications experience are encouraged to join
this committee. For more information, contact Omar Baddar at omar@adcma.org. - Palestine Working Group- This committee deals primarily with issues
relevant to
the Arab-Israeli Conflict, advocacy of Palestinian rights, and local activism for the
Palestinian cause. If you have any experience in any of these areas, or are
simply interested in learning and involving yourself in Palestinian issues, contact
Omar Baddar at omar@adcma.org.
