Dearborn —Longtime local activist Rana Abbas-Chami has left her position as deputy director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee's Michigan chapter to join a company that manages linguistic contracts for the government.
Friday was her last day at the Dearborn offices of the organization after 10 years of working for ADC-Michigan, having helped the group grow from a one-person operation to a widely respected center of civil rights causes.
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| Rana Abbas-Chami |
On Thursday, a day before her departure, she said she still hadn't worked up the heart to start packing the things in her office.
"It is the most difficult decision that I've ever had to make in my life," she said. "It's like leaving behind a baby that you helped raise."
ADC Regional Director Imad Hamad was the sole staff member of the chapter when Abbas-Chami joined him a decade ago.
Today, with a larger staff and a steady influx of eager interns, ADC Michigan handles hundreds of discrimination cases each year, hosts major community events year-round and is building the American Arab Center for Civil and Human Rights, a 10,000-square-foot education & resource facility in Dearborn expected to open later this year.
The group has come to serve as a starting point for countless struggles, as people throughout the region turn to ADC to report incidents of discrimination and vent frustrations about trends of intolerance.
The aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks, when the volume of complaints filed with ADC grew out of control, was Abbas-Chami's most intense time with the organization, she said.
Her proudest moment? The founding of AWARE (Arab American Women Advocating for Resources and Empowerment) in 2005. A subgroup of ADC, AWARE is a network of professional women working to educate to the public on "voting, literacy, safety, and young minds."
"I have watched her grow from a young intern and develop into her role as Deputy Director," said Hamad about Abbas-Chami. "She will now embark on a new journey."
In her new position Abbas-Chami will co-direct the regional recruiting office of Global Linguistic Solutions, a company contracted by the government to secure translators for U.S. efforts in Iraq.
"I may have my own personal opinion of the war," she said, "but the sad reality is — we are at war… My feeling is that this job that's going to get done regardless, should get done right… We need to be involved."
Abbas-Chami said she made a decision about a year ago that she wanted, at some point, to move into a role that would allow her to work more directly with the government.
She said her first hand experience witnessing the benefits of working closely with the government and maintaining dialogue between the community and government entities, led her to that decision.
ADC has become a part of who she is, Abbas-Chami said, and she still intends to continue working with the group as a volunteer activist, particularly in AWARE initiatives.
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) in Michigan
Cordially invites you to a farewell reception in honor of
Rana Abbas
Former ADC Michigan Deputy Director
Friday, February 8, 2008 at 6:00 PM
The Lebanese American Heritage Club
4337 Maple, Dearborn
Please call 313-581-1201 by
February 1, 2008 to RSVP
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