DEARBORN — The Palestine Office-Michigan is preparing to commemorate the 61st anniversary of “Al-Nakba” — Arabic for “the catastrophe” — with an event at the Hyatt Regency, 600 Town Center Drive in Dearborn at 6:30 p.m.

A Palestinian child, wearing traditional clothes, takes part in a march at the Ain el-Hilweh refugee camp, southern Lebanon, to mark Nakba day May 14, 2009. Palestinians mark Nakba as a day of mourning for the establishment of Israel in 1948 after which an Arab-Israeli war brought the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. REUTERS/ Ali Hashisho

Al-Nakba refers to the 1948 war over Israel’s creation, which led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.

Publisher Osama Siblani of The Arab American News will be honored at the ceremony with an award for his work in fighting for Palestinian rights.

“Osama has been in the forefront fighting for Palestine rights whether it be from print to protest,” said Hasan Newash, head of the Dearborn-based Palestine Office. “He deserves more than this award for his relentless commitment.”

Newash says it’s important for Al-Nakba to be commemorated every year because there are many who stand for achieving peace and justice through self-empowerment.

The event is to feature peace with justice activist Kathy Kelly and Jewish activist and scholar Phillis Bennis. For more information, call 313.945.9660 or e-mail palestine1948@sbcglobal.net.

Arab American professionals to be recognized

DETROIT —The Arab American Professionals Network’s 4th Annual “Celebrating Success Dinner” is to be held Wednesday, May 20, 5:30 p.m. at the Greenfield Manor, 4770 Greenfield Road in Dearborn.

According to the group’s website, the event recognizes Arab American professionals in the Detroit area who serve as mentors and role models for other Arab Americans in the region. The AAPN focuses on five areas: medicine, education, finance, legal and business.

This year, Dr. Ali Farhat,  Dr. Daw Alwerfalli, Judge Charlene Elder, finance specialist Mike Amine and business owner Rashad Bazzy will be recognized as Arab American Professionals of the Year.  

The event will include social networking, an Arab American comedy performance, a debka dance, an Arabian coffee tent, and a fashion show.

Over 400 guest are expected. Tickets are $25 for members, $40 for non-members.. 

For more information, contact Hebah Alwerfalli at Hebaha@americanarab.com or call 313.945.1700.

Discussion on Occupied Territories resumes

SOUTHFIELD — A second installment of a forum on the West Bank and Gaza hosted by the Detroit West District Peace Center at Hope United Methodist Church, 26275 Northwestern Highway in Southfield, is to be held on Wednesday, May 20 from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Linda Mansour

Attorney Linda Mansour is to give a presentation entitled “What We Found in Gaza.” Mansour is one of nine National Lawyers Guild delegates who traveled to Gaza on a fact-finding mission in February to uncover violations of international law in the December-January Israeli military attacks there.
The forum will include a video on Israelis and Palestinians who are working to build bridges, and a question and answer session.

For more information, call 248.356.1020, extension 137, or email peacecenter@sbcglobal.net.

Seeking new movie backdrops

DEARBORN — City officials are looking for interesting and unexpected places that would make excellent movie backdrops.

Dearborn has a variety of landscapes and a world flavor that may appeal to filmmakers, and a photo of a unique setting can help attract the movie industry, officials said.

Send a photo along with a brief description and information about a Dearborn location to movies@ci.dearborn.mi.us, and it may be posted to the official city website. Credit will be given to the photographer for any photos used.

For more information, call Mary Laundroche or Randy Coble at 313.943.2285.

Summit on Michigan’s economic woes

DETROIT — The 2009 Michigan Policy Summit is to be held May 16, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Cobo Hall, 1 Washington Boulevard, suite 401 in Detroit.

The event will focus on Michigan’s economic downturn and helpful strategies to pull the state out of the worst economic state it’s seen in decades. Sub-themes including labor, healthcare reform, clean energy and home foreclosure will be discussed.  

The event will also highlight issues of immigration and basic rights reform. The summit includes some 60 organizations and draws some of Michigan’s most distinctive leaders as panel experts. Economist Dean Baker, who predicted the economic crisis long before it hit, is to speak.

For more on the 2009 Michigan Policy Summit, visit www.mipolicysummit.org.

First class postage increase

The price for a first-class mail stamp increased from 42 to 44 cents on Monday.

This is the third year in a row for stamp increases, with a total increase of 10 cents in the last 10 years.

As use of the internet for personal and business mail increases, the U.S. Postal Service continues to experience financial problems, having ended 2008 with a $2.8 billion loss and a 4.3 percent drop in mail volume, according to the 2008 annual report.

“The Postal Service is not immune to rising costs, which are affecting homes and businesses across America today,” said U.S. Postmaster General John Potter in a press release. “Even with the increases, the Postal Service continues to offer some of the lowest postage prices in the world.”

The U.S. Postal Service estimates the price change will cost an additional $3 year for the average household.

“We are aggressively reducing work hours and other costs to limit losses, preserve cash and improve productivity,” said Joseph Corbett, U.S. Postal Service chief financial officer.

The USPS cut 58 million work hours in the first half of the 2009 fiscal year, an amount equivalent to 33,000 full-time employees.

In another effort to cut cost, Potter has asked Congress to permit mail delivery to be cut down to five days a week. Also, the salaries for executives and officers have been frozen at 2008 pay levels, and construction on new postal facilities has been halted.

Protest at Motorola shareholders meeting

The U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation lead a demonstration on May 4 at the Rosemont Theater in Rosemont, Illinois against the production and sale of military materials by Motorola to Israel for use in the occupation of Palestinian Territories.

More than 25 participants from Chicago, Ann Arbor, and Miami greeted Motorola shareholders as they arrived for their annual meeting.

Signs and handbills asked them to vote in favor of a shareholder resolution that would require Motorola to revise their human rights policies to bring them into line with international standards.

Many of the arriving shareholders accepted the handbills, though reactions were mixed. Initial reports indicated that nine percent of Motorola shareholders voted for the resolution.

Chicago-area organizations Arab Jewish Partnership for a Just Peace in the Middle East, Coalition Against Apartheid in Palestine and DePaul Students for Justice in Palestine, led the demonstration. Ann Arbor activists Sol Metz, Shirley Zempel and Linda Wotring participated.

Attorney honored with Ellis Island award

Attorney Salman Sesi of the Farmington Hills-based Sesi & Sesi law firm was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor at a ceremony in New York City on May 9. 

Salman Sesi

The award is given annually to Americans around the country who have dedicated themselves to upholding American values and filling racial and religious gaps that exist between the U.S. and the rest of the world.
“What a wonderful honor it is to receive this prestigious award from a national organization,” Sesi said. “There are many individuals in Michigan who would easily qualify for this award for the good work they do.”

Arab American elected head of county roads association

LANSING — The County Road Association of Michigan (CRAM) elected Arab American Hassan Saab as its president on May 7.

Hassan Saab

Saab, deputy director of Wayne County’s Department of Public Services was chosen unanimously by the association’s board of directors at the recommendation of the Urban Association of Road Commissions.
“I am honored to lead CRAM at this crucial time and look forward to working for the betterment of all county road agencies,” Saab said. 

“Michigan’s county road agencies will continue to provide the best level of service possible at 2009 costs, with a 1998 funding level, but our state and local road and bridge network and Michigan’s economy deserve better.”

CRAM Director John Niemela said Saab’s experience will be an asset to the association.

Saab will fill a vacancy left when previous President Robert Sawicki was not re-appointed to his post on the Macomb County Road Commission.

CRAM represents the interests of Michigan’s 83 county road agencies that collectively manage more than 75 percent of all roads in Michigan.  For more information visit www.micountyroads.org.

News briefs compiled by Jessica Barrow, Natasha Dado and Khalil AlHajal