Arab Cultural and Community Center Will Host Local Launch of Campaign to Take on Hate at Annual Woman’s Conference

The Arab Cultural and Community Center on April 5 will host the first local launch of TAKE ON HATE, a grassroots campaign to challenge cultural acceptability of discrimination toward Arab Americans during their 7th Annual Arab American Women’s Conference in San Francisco.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The Arab Cultural and Community Center will host its 7th Annual Arab American Women’s Conference on April 5 at St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco, where this year’s event will coincide with the first of four local launches of The Campaign to TAKE ON HATE. Powered by the National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC), TAKE ON HATE challenges our country’s growing prejudice and persistent misconceptions of Arab and Muslim Americans, including Arab and Muslim refugees.

Last month, NNAAC held a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. to officially announce the launch of the campaign. Soraya Hosni, Executive Director for the ACCC was one of six speakers who voiced their support for the campaign, including representatives from the AAJC, SAALT and NAACP.

“As a community leader I see the large-scale effects of certain assumptions inducing, psychological and physiological wounds on our community members – in schools, at work, in the streets and in the media,” said Hosni. “These consequences can no longer be ignored. It is really about time that we acknowledge this bigotry. Change the narrative. Take on hate. And celebrate diversity.”

The campaign aims to achieve meaningful social change not only through public education, media and coalition building, but also by providing a platform for Arab Americans to speak up and inspire real policy change that challenges institutional racism and protects the rights of our communities. San Francisco is one of four key cities – along with Detroit, New York and Chicago – set to unroll localized efforts following last month’s press conference.

In additional to the launch of the campaign to TAKE ON HATE, the ACCC’s women’s conference, themed “Quwat Al Mar’aa: The Power of Woman,” will highlight Arab American women and their work to empower their communities and each other. The women’s conference where the launch will be held takes place from 9:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 5 at St. Mary’s Cathedral, 1111 Gough St. in San Francisco.

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About the Arab Cultural and Community Center

The Arab Cultural and Community Center is a nonprofit organization devoted to promoting Arab arts and culture, as well as empowering and engaging the Arab American community. Since 1973, the ACCC has been a community institution welcoming Arab Americans of all national backgrounds, religious affiliations and immigrant experiences. The San Francisco-based organization provides culturally focused social services while promoting cross-cultural events to ALL residents of the Bay Area and beyond. For more information on the Arab Cultural and Community Center, visit www.arabculturalcenter.org.

About The Campaign to TAKE ON HATE

The Campaign to TAKE ON HATE, powered by the National Network for Arab American Communities, challenges our country’s growing prejudice and persistent misconceptions of Arab Americans and moves us closer to being a nation that upholds dignity and equality for all – regardless of national origin, ethnicity or religion. Through a coordinated grassroots effort, TAKE ON HATE increases awareness and education about Arab Americans and what they mean to our communities and calls upon all Americans to address the perception of and hateful behavior toward Arab Americans and stand up for change. For more information, visit takeonhate.org.                

About the National Network for Arab American Communities

The National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC), a project of ACCESS, is a national consortium of independent Arab American community-based organizations. The Network’s primary mission is to build the capacity of Arab American nonprofit organizations that focus on the needs and issues impacting their local community, while working to collectively address those issues nationally. NNAAC, which was established in 2004, currently has 23 members in 11 states.  To support its mission, NNAAC has three main programs: Capacity Building, Advocacy & Civic Engagement, and Youth & Community Service. For more information, visit nnaac.org.