- Form an Arab club to organize Arab American and other interested students
- Get school permission to organize an Arab-American week or day where you can educate your school about Arab culture and political issues in the Middle East. Set up tables with information about discrimination of Arab-Americans, media bias in Middle East coverage, and other issues. Have Arabic music and offer Arab food; and inform the school community about Arab culture
- Review textbooks for distortions of history and biased representation of the Arab world (you might want to ask your parents to examine the textbooks). Contact ADC for advice.
- Provide your teachers with information on organizations which have educational resources on the Arab world.
- Suggest to your teachers that you can give presentations about Arab culture and history in social science classes (your own and others that deal with these issues), or that they can invite Arab-American parents to do so. ADC can provide basic lesson plans and information.
- Get involved with the school newspaper and write letters to the editor on important issues.
- Organize smaller events throughout the year, for example show movies from Arab countries which deal with political, historical or cultural issues (see below for distributor address). Have workshops on how to cook Middle Eastern food. Publicize your events in the student newspaper, through flyers, etc.
- Participate in the multi-cultural week at your school if there is one (if not, suggest to organize one).
- Don’t forget to speak up in class!
If any problems arise, such as discriminatory attitudes or behavior by teachers or fellow students, contact ADC immediately with full details.
Contact Information:
Arab Film Distribution
4022 Stone Way North Seattle, WA 98103
Tel: (206) 547-4687 (9.30 – 6.00 PST)
Fax: (206) 547-8607
afd@halcyon.com
www.halcyon.com/afd/