ADC Convention 2018: Rising Above Hate and Combating Systemic Discrimination

Washington, D.C. | www.adc.org | September 20, 2018 –  As part of the upcoming convention in Anaheim, California, please join the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) for its civil rights panel, “Rising Above Hate and Combating Systemic Discrimination.” The panelists will discuss the Arab/Muslim Ban, immigration, and other policies impacting our community. The panel will be held from 2:30 PM – 3:45 PM on Saturday, October 13, 2018. The ADC convention will take place October 12 – 13, 2018.

Presenting on the session will be Ms. Ramla Sahidfounder and executive director of the Partnership for the Advancement of New AmericansMr. Mohammad TajsarStaff Attorney at the ACLU of Southern California; and Dr. Asla BâliProfessor of Law at the UCLA School of Law and Director of the Promise Institute for Human Rights. Each of the presenters brings a unique perspective and experiences to the conversation. Bios of the presenters are listed below.

The session will be part of the ADC National Convention, which will be held October 12-13, 2018 in Anaheim, California. This session will be hosted on the afternoon of Saturday October 13. To register for the Convention click here. Registration provides access to all panels, and the Saturday Evening Gala. 


 Ramla Sahid is the founder and executive director of the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans — PANA. She is responsible for overseeing the organization’s growth and prominence as a multiracial refugee and Muslim organizing, civic engagement hub. Ramla brings more than a decade of organizing experience to successfully advance state and local initiatives that advance health and racial equity. She believes in the power of people and that engaging in authentic partnerships with community is the foundation for creating transformation. Ramla has received numerous awards for her work and regularly speaks at conferences on the power of building and leveraging community voices to achieve equitable outcomes.


Mohammad Tajsar is a Staff Attorney at the ACLU of Southern California, joining the organization in 2017. Mohammad’s work primarily focuses on national security and counterterrorism policy, with a particular focus on the impacts of national security law on Arab, Muslim, Middle Eastern, and South Asian communities. Mohammad also works on police misconduct, government surveillance, and protecting individuals’ and organization’s rights in the digital world. Mohammad’s current docket includes Fazaga v. FBI, a challenge to the FBI’s surveillance of mosques in Orange County, and ACLU of Southern California v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, a Freedom of Information Act suit seeking records concerning the Trump’s administration’s implementation of the original Muslim ban. Prior to joining the ACLU, Mohammad served as an associate at Hadsell Stormer & Renick LLP, a Pasadena, California-based law firm specializing in civil rights and workers’ rights. Mohammad began his legal career as a law clerk in United States District Court for the District of Nevada and a legal fellow at the ACLU of Southern California. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, and from UCLA.


Asl? Bâli, PhD. is Professor of Law at the UCLA School of Law and Faculty Director of the Promise Institute for Human Rights. Dr. Bâli’s scholarship has appeared in the American Journal of International Law Unbound, University of Chicago Law Review, Cornell International Law Journal, International Journal of Constitutional Law, UCLA Law Review, Yale Journal of International Law and Virginia Journal of International Law, among others, and her edited volume Constitution Writing, Religion and Democracy was published by Cambridge University Press in 2017. Dr. Bâli recently served as a consultant to the Middle East Studies Association National Board in connection with the Association’s role as a plaintiff in litigation challenging the travel ban. She currently serves as co-chair of the Advisory Committee for Human Rights Watch-Middle East.

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