Washington, DC | April 3, 2007 | The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) announces the program schedule of the 2007 Annual National Convention, “Toward a More Perfect Union.” The Convention, the largest annual gathering of Arab Americans in Washington, DC, will take place June 8-11, 2007 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel located at: 2500 Calvert Street NW, Washington, DC 20008. See details below on the convention program schedule, how to register for the convention and the hotel, as well as sponsorship opportunities.
REGISTER EARLY FOR THE CONVENTION
Register early online for the Convention, total early discounted price, includes access to all events with five meals included, is $295. You must register before May 1, 2007 to secure the discounted price of $295. The student rate is $195, you must have a valid student id and be registered full time to qualify for the student rate. Register Here.
REGISTER FOR THE HOTEL
The room rate is $159/night for single or double occupancy. Those planning to attend are requested to reserve hotel rooms early by clicking here.
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
To place an advertisement or a message of appreciation to an award recipient in the Convention Book, and to help support ADC, please see: https://www.adc.org/PDF/Sponsorship2007.pdf
CONVENTION PROGRAM SCHEDULE, detailed schedule with complete list of speakers available at: www.adc.org
FRIDAY, JUNE 8
9:00-8:00pm Hallway
Convention Registration
12:00-2:00pm
Presidential Candidates Luncheon on Capitol Hill, Washington Court Hotel (All other Convention events will be held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel)
Confirmed Featured Speaker: Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE)
Mike Gravel, former US Senator from Alaska
Senator John McCain* (R-AZ)
Senator Joseph Biden* (D-DE)
Senator Chris Dodd* (D-CT)
Senator Barack Obama* (D-IL)
Senator Hillary Clinton* (D-NY)
Senator John Edwards* (D-NC)
Congressman Dennis Kucinich* (D-OH)
Congressman Ron Paul* (R-TX)
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson* (D-NM)
Former Secretary of HHS and Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson*
Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani*
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney*
2:30-5:30pm TBD
Arab-American Leadership Forum with Hussein Ibish (Restricted to ADC Chapter and National Board Members and Officers)
6:30-7:30pm Palladian Ballroom
Remarks by Governor Howard Dean, DNC Chairman
8:00-10:00pm Palladian Ballroom
Banquet Dinner and Screening of Reel Bad Arabs
Featuring Dr. Jack Shaheen, Professor and Author of Reel Bad Arabs
10:00pm -1:00am Empire Ballroom
Hafleh: Midnight at the Oasis (Brought to you by the ADC-Washington DC Area Chapter)
SATURDAY, JUNE 9
8:00-8:00pm Hallway
Convention Registration
9:00-10:15am Regency Ballroom
Media Roundtable: Anti-Arab Sentiment & Islamophobia in the Media
Facilitator: Hussein Ibish, Executive Director Foundation for Arab-American Leadership
Lorainne Ali,* Newsweek
Christiane Amanpour,* CNN
Christopher Hitchens,* Vanity Fair
Ralph Peters,* Lt. Col USARMY (Ret), Novelist and Essayist
Paula Zahn,* CNN
Representative, American Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association
10:30—11:45am
Making it in Entertainment Governor‘s Room
Facilitator: Laila Al-Qatami, ADC Communications Director
Zarqa Nawaz,* Creator “Little Mosque on the Prairie”
Tom Shadyac,* Producer and Director, Liar Liar, Ace Ventura, The Nutty Professor
10:30-11:45am
Iraq: Reality of War Capitol Room
Ayad Al-Qazzaz, Professor of Sociology, California State Univ. of Sacramento
Shibley Telhami,* Senior Fellow Brooking Institution and the Sadat Chair for Peace and Development at University of Maryland
Elizabeth Campbell, Coordinator, Refugee Council USA
10:30- 11:45am Calvert Room
Workshop: Philanthropy in the Arab-American Community
12:00-1:30pm Regency Ballroom
Annual Civil Rights Awards Luncheon
Hilary Shelton, NAACP (Annual ADC Excellence in Advocacy Award)
Juliette Kayyem, Massachusetts Homeland Security Chief *
Special Surprise Guest
1:45-3:00pm Governor‘s Room
Federal Employment: Challenges and Opportunities
Facilitator, Nawar Shora, ADC Director Diversity Education and Law Enforcement Outreach
Shaarik Zaafar,* DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
George Piro,* FBI
Haytham Faraj,* US Marine Corps (Judge Advocate General)
Representative,* National Guard
1:45-3:00pm Capitol Room
Growing Up Arab-American
Rana El Mir
Salah Husseini*
George Selim*
Lena Seikaly*
1:45-3:00pm Calvert Room
Workshop: Radius of Arab American Writers, Inc. (RAWI)
3:15-4:30pm Regency Ballroom
Release of Landmark ADC Research Institute (ADCRI) Report-
Too Many Exceptions: Violations of International Law in Lebanon During the State of Israel‘s “Operation Change of Direction”
Facilitator: Denyse Sabbagh*, Attorney
Virgnia Sherri, Author of Too Many Exceptions
Houeida Saad,* Researcher, Author
John Quigley,* International Law Professor, Ohio State University
Marty Rosenbluth, Amnesty International
4:45-6:00pm Regency Ballroom
Special Panel To Be Announced
6:15-7:15pm Ambassador Ballroom
Reception: Remarks by Mel Martinez, Republican Party General Chairman*
7:30-10:30pm Regency Ballroom
Gala Dinner Banquet
HRH Queen Rania Al-Abdullah* of Jordan (ADC Global Humanitarian Award)
Special Message from President Jimmy Carter
Gen. Wesley Clark*
Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN)*
Vice President Albert Gore*
10:00pm- 1:00am TBD
Hafleh: Midnight at the Oasis
SUNDAY, JUNE 10
8:00-12:30pm Hallway
Convention Registration
8:00-10:00am Governor‘s Room
General Assembly (Limited to active ADC members)
10:15—11:45am Governor‘s Room
From the Victim‘s Mouth
Ibrahim Dabdoub, Driving While Arab
Raed Jarrar, Flying While Arab
Samar Al Rayyes,* Working While Arab
10:15-11:45am Capitol Room
Palestine: 40 Years of Occupation
Facilitator: Nadia Hijab, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Palestine Studies
Ambassador Afif Safieh, Head of PLO Mission to the United States
Sara Roy, Middle East Center, Harvard University
Robert Malley, International Crisis Group, Former Special Assistant to President Clinton for Arab-Israeli Affairs, 1998-2001
10:15 — 11:45am Calvert Room
Workshop: How to Lobby
12:00-1:30pm Palladian Ballroom
Luncheon: Celebrating Achievements of Women
Presentation of the Rose Nader Award
Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)
Diane Rehm NPR
Rosalynn Carter,* former First Lady
Elizabeth Edwards* Attorney and wife of Senator John Edwards
Tipper Gore* Former Second Lady
Lorainne Miller,* Clerk US House of Representatives
Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O‘Connor*
Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi*
Dina Habib Powell,* Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs
Vanessa Redgrave* Actress/Activist
Selwa “Lucky” Roosevelt* former Chief of Protocol of the United States
Diane Sawyer,* ABC News
Donna Shalala,* Former Secretary of Health and Human Services
Helen Thomas,* Dean of the White House Press Corps
2:00-5:00pm
Arab-American Leadership Forum with Hussein Ibish (Restricted to ADC Chapter and National Board Members and Officers)
To Mark the 40th Year of Israeli Occupation of Palestine, ADC will join the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation and United For Peace and Justice for a Washington Rally and Protest Followed by a Day of Lobbying Capitol Hill
2:00-4:00pm
Rally at US Capitol Lawn
4:00-6:00pm
March to the White House/Ellipse
MONDAY, JUNE 11
9:00-10:00am
Lobbying Workshop and Orientation, Capitol Hill
All Day: Constituent Meetings with Members of Congress
*Invited