DEARBORN — Former U.S. Congresswoman and presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney endeared herself to many in the Arab American community last summer when she joined fellow human rights activists on a boat attempting to provide relief to beseiged Gaza.

Former U.S. Congresswoman and Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney is to speak in Dearborn on March 19 at the Arab Student Union’s annual banquet.

Now, McKinney is planning to visit Dearborn to serve as keynote speaker for the Arab Student Union of the University of Michigan-Dearborn’s 5th annual “Empowering the Youth” banquet at Bint Jebail Cultural Center on Friday, March 19.

The mission to Gaza by sea, which resulted in McKinney and the rest of the crew being detained by the Israeli military, was her second attempted trip to Gaza and the second time McKinney was detained. The first trip was made on a boat named “Dignity” and the second named “Spirit of Humanity.”

“Actually, last year when we were planning the the 4th annual banquet, I was flipping the channel and was shocked to see the headline on CNN when she was released from the Israeli military,” said ASU President Rashid Baydoun.

“I was so impressed with her determination to break the siege in Gaza that I said she had to be the keynote speaker.”

Baydoun, who invited Dr. Norman Finkelstein last year to be the banquet speaker, said that many ASU members’ parents initially knew more about McKinney’s activities because of the coverage they had seen on Arab media outlets as opposed to mainstream American outlets the members had mostly watched.

But once they researched more about McKinney, the members became as excited about her visit as Baydoun. Word has also spread among the local community and Baydoun said that calls about reservations for tables have been frequent.

McKinney is known for having faced intense backlash from lobbying groups as a result of speaking out in favor of Palestinian rights while serving as a U.S. congresswoman from Georgia. Finance efforts of pro-Israel lobby groups resulted in her defeat in the 2003 race for her seat, which she had held since 1993. She was elected again in 2005, and defeated a second time in 2007.

McKinney was the first African American woman to represent the state of Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1993 and has supported various articles of anti-war legislation. She was originally a Democrat but switched to the Green Party for her presidential run in 2008.

Baydoun said that the 5th annual banquet is an important celebration of the staying power and accomplishments of ASU.

“I want to thank our community for continuing to support our youth movement; we know that we are the future and have an important role to uphold by maintaining the high standards that our parents set forth.”

Doors for the event will open at 6:30 p.m. and the event is expected to last until 11:30 p.m. Tickets for general admission include dinner and entertainment and are $35 and student tickets are $30 and are only available in advance. For information or reservations for the event, call 313.671.6285 or 313.258.5171.