American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
Type501(c)(4) organization
52-1180441
HeadquartersWashington, D.C.
Location
Websiteadc.org Edit this at Wikidata

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) states that it is "the largest Arab American grassroots civil rights organization in the United States."[1] According to its webpage, it is open to people of all backgrounds, faiths and ethnicities and has a national network of chapters[2] and members in all 50 states. It claims that three million Americans trace their roots to an Arab country.[citation needed]

The ADC seeks to “empower Arab Americans, defend the civil rights of all people, promote Arab cultural heritage, promote civic participation, encourage a balanced US policy in the Middle East and support freedom and development in the Arab World.” ADC has a number of programs to combat discrimination and bias against Arab-Americans, including stereotypes of Arabs in the United States.[3][4][5] The ADC is a member of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and holds a seat on the Leadership Conference National Board of Directors.[6]

ADC was founded in 1980 by James Abourezk, the first Arab-American United States senator, and Arab-American political activist James Zogby.[citation needed] Samer Khalaf, an attorney from New Jersey who was on the national board and executive committee of the ADC, and former interim legal director, became ADC national president in December 2013.[7]

  1. ^ ADC President Mary Rose Oakar letter to Congressman Rahm Emanuel Archived 2008-12-03 at the Wayback Machine, November 11, 2008.
  2. ^ ADC Regional office and Chapter List, at ADC web site.
  3. ^ About ADC at ADC web site.
  4. ^ 2008 ADC Board Resolutions at ADC web site.
  5. ^ List of ADC press releases 2002–2006 at ADC web site.
  6. ^ Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights web site executive committee listing Archived 2008-11-26 at the Wayback Machine.
  7. ^ "Arab-American group fires president amid controversy". USA Today.