Wayne State BOG meets virtually amid Pro-Palestine protesters’ concerns
June 28th, 20240 Members of the Wayne State University community have been advocating for the university to divest from companies with ties to Israel since November. WSU’s Board of Governors met virtually in its first meeting since the removal of the pro-Palestine campus encampment and discussed what the investment process looks like. It also hosted...
SMART unveils bus wrap dedicated to Arab American leaders
June 28th, 20240 DETROIT — In honor of Arab American Heritage Month, the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART), is unveiling an empowering bus wrap featuring notable Arab American individuals who have made significant contributions across various fields. "Honoring the Arab American community's contributions is essential to...
A report finds 41 percent of Michigan residents facing poverty and financial struggles
June 22nd, 20240 A report released by the Michigan Association of United Ways in partnership with United for ALICE, the Consumers Energy Foundation and local United Ways throughout the state shows 41 percent of Michigan residents are living in poverty or financially struggling. This report assesses how the economic conditions influence people using...
Trump turns to his Lebanese son-in-law’s father to woo Arab American voters in Michigan
June 21st, 20240 A report published by the Associated Press highlighted the growing role of Lebanese American businessman Massad Boulos in swaying Arab voters in Michigan to vote for former President Trump in the upcoming presidential election. This effort is amid their strong dissatisfaction with President Biden's policies towards the brutal Israeli war...
Plymouth public defender sues 35th District Court for alleged bias and harassment against lower-income defendants
June 21st, 20240 Public Defender Sundus Jaber filed a lawsuit against the Regional Managed Assigned Counsel Office (RMACO), RMACO’s director and judges from the 35th District Court in Plymouth for alleged bias against lower-income defendants, harassment and retaliation for reporting harassment. The lawsuit states that the defendants violated...
MMA fighter Abe Alsaghir achieves first pro title, winning the Lights Out Championship
June 19th, 20241 Dearborn Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Abe Alsaghir achieved a pivotal win in his latest fight. The Lights Out Championship, fought by Alsaghir against Jimmy Sandlin, took place at Hype Athletic Center in Wayne. The fight was scheduled for five rounds. Alsaghir stopped the fight in the second round due to a technical knockout...
Summer property tax bills to include corrected school levies
June 14th, 20240 DEARBORN —While Dearborn Public Schools is only collecting 2.3352 mills of its recently reapproved operating millage, some property owners in Dearborn and Dearborn Heights will see higher rates this summer after it was discovered that the tax was left off some bills last year. For the 2024-25 tax cycle, the district’s operating...
Court denies Beydoun’s request to reconsider placing his name on Michigan ballot in U.S. Senate primary
June 14th, 20240 DETROIT – The Michigan Court of Appeals has denied the petition of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Nasser Beydoun to have his name placed on the ballot for the August primary election. This decision follows his disqualification by state election authorities due to a technical error in his nomination petition. The Michigan Board of...
New House bill would increase fines for loud cars and showy drivers in Michigan
June 14th, 20240 LANSING – As the school year ends and high school graduation parties take place during a period that annually sees a significant increase in reckless and annoying driving behaviors, the Michigan legislature is moving towards passing a new bill aimed at tightening the pursuit of noisy drivers. Under...
Arab American Civil Rights League board elects Nabih Ayad as its new chairman
June 14th, 20240 DEARBORN – On June 11, the Arab American Civil Rights League (ACRL) board elected Nabih H. Ayad, Esq. as the new chairman of the civil rights group. Ayad, the founder of the ACRL, served as the chairman for the organization's first five years and now resumes this pivotal role. With more than 25 years of private practice at Ayad Law,...
“We are both victims of the same colonial, imperialist power”: Metro Detroit Holocaust and Nakba survivors advocate for Palestinian rights
June 14th, 20240 Ismael Noor and Rene Lichtman may come from different backgrounds and regions, but in their eyes, their past traumas are reflections of one another's experiences. The Michigan residents are survivors of their respective people’s most harrowing tragedies: Lichtman, 86, is a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust, and Noor, 75, is a...
Dearborn Public School Trustee Jim Thorpe appointed to volunteer state board
June 12th, 20240 DEARBORN - Dearborn Public School Trustee Jim Thorpe has been appointed to help govern a statewide organization for school board members. The Michigan Association of School Boards appointed Thorpe to its Board of Governors as a representative for District 8. His fellow trustees on the Dearborn Public Schools Board of Education had...
Crestwood High School vandalized as part of a senior prank
June 7th, 20240 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — As part of a common senior prank, several students were caught vandalizing Crestwood High School on May 24. Through a thorough investigation conducted by the Crestwood administration, multiple students were identified vandalizing the school with spray paint. “The investigation consisted of camera footage,...
Dearborn Heights student earns nearly $10 million in scholarship money
June 7th, 20240 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Star International Academy student Ahmed Jawad has a set a new record for the amount of scholarship money earned in the district. Jawad earned $9,926,344 in scholarships. "We are incredibly proud to announce that Ahmed Jawad, a distinguished senior at Star International Academy, has achieved an...
Aetna donates $60,000 to support culturally-informed services for diverse communities in Southeast Michigan
June 4th, 20240 DETROIT — Aetna Better Health of Michigan, a CVS Health® company, announced that Aetna made donations totaling $60,000 to ACCESS (the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services) and Centro Multicultural La Familia to provide culturally-informed services, workshops and resources for under-resourced communities in Southeast......
Next Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission virtual town hall meeting to explain proposed Senate maps
June 4th, 20240 WHO: The Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) will host another virtual town hall meeting on Thursday, June 6 to provide details about election district maps for the Michigan Senate. WHAT: Commissioners will share insight about how 12 draft maps for Senate districts 1, 3, 6, 8, 10, and 11 were drawn. In...
U.S. Customs and Border Protection offers helpful travel tips ahead of Hajj travel
June 4th, 20240 DETROIT – The U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Office of Field Operations reminds travelers preparing for their pilgrimage to the Hajj to be aware of important travel tips to help ensure a smooth return into the United States. Travelers should familiarize themselves with current money reporting requirements and be......
Police break up protest and encampment on Wayne State University campus
June 1st, 20240 Police broke up a pro-Palestinian encampment at Wayne State University and arrested 12 people. Tents and fences were previously set up on the lawn outside the Wayne State undergraduate library. Police in riot gear removed the fences and broke down the tents constructed last week, following several warnings issued, according to...
Dr. Ghada Beydoun: a trailblazer in the field of dentistry
June 1st, 20240 DEARBORN — Dr. Ghada Beydoun has embodied the American Dream, which fills the hearts of immigrants all over the world looking to build better lives for themselves and their families. The daughter of Lebanese immigrants, she is a first-generation American and the first in her family to attend college. She told The Arab American...
Progress Michigan opposes DTE Energy rate hike amid persistent power outages
May 31st, 20240 LANSING — On Wednesday, Progress Michigan voiced its firm opposition to the recent proposal by DTE Energy for its nearly half-billion dollar rate increase highlighted in Bridge Michigan. This comes at a time when Michigan already ranks among the top three states for both the frequency and duration of power outages, despite residents...
Hamtramck City Council passes boycott, divest and sanction resolution against Israel
May 31st, 20240 The Hamtramck City Council passed Resolution 2024-51 to boycott, divest and sanction Israel 4-0 at its meeting on Tuesday evening. The only entirely Arab American city council in the country became the first in Michigan and one of the first around the nation to join the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement. “The BDS......
Michigan Bureau of Elections declares nine Michigan Congressional candidates’ primary ballot petitions invalid
May 31st, 20240 LANSING – Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson's Office declared that nine Congressional candidates failed to submit enough valid petition signatures to make the primary ballot in August, according to reports released Friday afternoon, May 24. The determinations, if confirmed by the Board of State Canvassers next week, could whittle...
Police raid and remove Wayne State University’s pro-Palestinian encampment, students vow to return
May 31st, 20240 Wayne State University police removed a pro-Palestine encampment and arrested 12 people on Thursday morning. During a press conference after the removal of the encampment, WSU’s Muslim Coalition President Ali Hassan said arrests included students, a medic and a third party observer. In a call Thursday afternoon, University......
University of Michigan graduates walk out during commencements protesting for Palestine
May 24th, 20240 ANN ARBOR — Graduates at the University of Michigan walked out during the commencement ceremony, displaying their support for Palestinians. Students at institutions across the nation have engaged in forms of protest on their c0llege campuses over the last several weeks. The protesting graduates wore kaffiyehs and mortarboards and...
ACRL’s “Fight for Justice” gala recognizes five awardees who have impacted their communities
May 24th, 20240 DEARBORN – The Arab American Civil Rights League (ACRL) held its twelfth annual “Fight for Justice” Gala on Thursday, May 16 at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center. The organization recognized five awardees whose efforts have significantly impacted Arab and Muslim communities. “This is not your average......
