More than 500 Journalists, editors and publishers from national publications such as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and People magazine along with TV anchors from CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS and local channels as well as noted authors will visit the Arab American community in Dearborn on Aug. 10 for an exclusive event organized by the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) in cooperation with The Arab American News and sponsored by community organizations. AAJA is a national organization with more than 1400 members and is holding its 30th annual convention at the COBO Conference/Exhibition Center with special events taking place at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center from Aug. 10-13. 

In Dearborn, the group will be received by Mayor Jack O’Reilly and community leaders as well as Detroit News and Detroit Free Press publishers. The journalists will start their tour at the Arab American National Museum on Michigan Avenue and later have dinner and entertainment in a facility nearby to be announced. The event is considered to be the largest gathering of journalists to visit Dearborn.

Detroit Free Press web editor and Asian American Journalists Association convention co-chair Frank Witsil attended a Congress of Arab American Organizations (CAAO) meeting at the Lebanese American Heritage Club on Tuesday to discuss the event, which is being held right before the 10-year anniversary of 9/11. Dearborn is home to the largest concentration of Arab Americans living outside the Middle East. 

Having the convention in Detroit is important because of the misconceptions and hate surrounding Arab Americans  following 9/11. The event is considered a key opportunity for journalists around the U.S. to learn about the Arab community in Dearborn. One idea discussed at the meeting is to have a presentation of an Arabic folk dance.  Volunteers are needed. To apply visit www.aaja.org.  

Additionally, the recent fatal  shooting of 23-year-old Hassan Zeidan, which triggered outrage   in Dearborn’s Arab community was discussed at the meeting. Zeidan lost his life after a gunman opened fire on him following an argument during a basketball game. Having community leaders visit Arab youth at high schools in Dearborn to discuss this as well as other community related issues was suggested as a strategy to help prevent future incidents. 

 Also, a potential pro-immigration forum that would highlight the impact immigrants have on the economy while addressing proposed anti-immigration legislation that has been introduced in Michigan and other states around the country was brought up at the meeting. The plan comes after the conference, Immigration and Michigan’s Economic Future held at Wayne State University received positive feedback nationally. Several editorials supporting the conference were written. During the event Michigan governor Rick Snyder said it’s time to start embracing immigrants.  It was the governor’s first time speaking at length on the topic.