Get Involved!

On November 5th, will you be able to say, “I did my part”?

The economy. FISA. FBI guidelines. Civil liberties. Foreign policy. The national debt. What issues most concern you? What candidates do you think will best represent you?

The most incredible thing about America–about Democracy–is the ability to choose, the ability to act, the ability to change the course of a nation. Every American’s voice will be heard… everyone has the right to make his or her voice heard.

We are on the eve of an election whose importance cannot be overstated. Voters are registering in unprecedented numbers.

Be a part of history.

Every vote counts this November, and Arab Americans can play an important role. Help inspire your community to cast a vote on November 4th. Just an hour or two of your time, in the comfort of your own home, and you can reach out to Arab Americans and encourage them to vote.

Click here to volunteer!

There is no doubt that this is the most exciting election in recent history. And it's a time when the Arab American community cannot afford to be silent.

We're concerned about having become targets because of our family names. We're concerned about what the U.S. is doing—or not doing—to help our families in the Arab world. And we're concerned that our home—the United States—has lost standing, credibility, and respect, not just in the Middle East but throughout the world.

That's why AAI launched Our Voice. Our Future. Yalla Vote '08. It's our biggest election year program ever. It's using new technologies, new resources, and new coalitions to get the Arab American agenda at the forefront of the national debate in this election year.

More than 50 Arab American organizations from around the country have signed on to Yalla Vote '08, and our Yalla Vote Coalition includes hundreds more individuals who are lending their voice to ensure our future.

Now it's up to you. We need every Arab American to join us in this effort.

• Make a contribution to Yalla Vote '08
• Sign our National Petition
• Attend a Yalla Vote training workshop in your community

Thank you for making a difference!

For details about Yalla Vote, visit www.yallavote.org

Arab Americans MUST help write their Party platforms
In every election since 1984, Arab Americans have run for and won positions as delegates to state and national party conventions. In those states that provided opportunities for delegates to write platforms, Arab Americans won victories, securing platform planks for Palestinian rights and Lebanon’s sovereignty; against profiling and discrimination; and guaranteeing civil liberties. This year is no exception. In several states, Arab American delegates to the state conventions are involved in platform work. But now, the Barack Obama campaign and the Republican Party have presented all Americans with an opportunity to participate in a platform writing process.
The Arab American Institute has made it easy for you to host a successful event. Just follow these simple guidelines…

FIRST: Plan Your Plank Party

1. Tell AAI if you’re hosting a Platform event, so we can send you buttons, posters, and other assets for your event. 202-429-9210 or cr@aaiusa.org
2. Register with your party online:
• Democrats: http://mybarackobama.com/page/event/create
• Republicans: http://www.goplatform2008.com/intro.aspx
3. Assemble your guest list and decide if you will offer light snacks and refreshments; consider asking your local restaurants to donate!
4. Where can you host the event to accommodate everyone? Consider:
• Condominium and apartment party rooms
• Community Centers, local library, local government center
• A coffee shop or Café
5. Take advantage of the materials and forms AAI has created for you:
For Democrats:
• Checklist
• Invitation
• Agenda
For Republicans:
• Checklist
• Invitation
• Agenda

• Meeting Agenda
• Sign-up Sheet
• Light Snacks & Refreshments
• Confirm your location and date
• Print the Yalla Vote National Declaration to distribute to your guests
• Voter Registration Forms
• Get your Arab American political assets from AAI
• Yalla Vote T-Shirts
• A large dry erase board or a large flip-chart paper, large markers and easel to help facilitate meeting.
• A pad of paper for notes

• Introduce yourself and your guests. Have them sign in
• Pass out your Agenda
• Explain the reason for the Party
• Establish ground rules (Consensus/Majority)
• Select issues to discuss
• Discuss issues
• Finalize position on issues
• Write issues as Platforms:
• Platforms are brief statements of general policy and/or direction and should be broad. The Yalla Vote Declaration is a good example of a platform—AAI recommends that you consider the Declaration and use its language to form your platform
• Read agreed upon language to guests
• Wrap up

1. Submit your platforms to AAI at cr@aaiusa.org andto your party using these links:
   Democrats: http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/listening/
   Republicans: http://www.gopplatform2008.com/intro.aspx
2. Send a copy of your sign in sheet to AAI:
   Arab American Institute
   1600 K Street, NW Suite 601
   Washington, DC 20006
or email cr@aaiusa.org
3. Thank your guests.
   Send thank you emails to your guests and share your pictures. Flickr is a great way to share photos, and AAI has created an Arab American Plank Party 08 group on Flickr to make it easy to share your photos
4. Tell AAI your story
   Write a short piece for the Yalla Vote blog on your Platform Party and send it along with your photos to cr@aaiusa.org
   If you post your pictures on Flickr.com, be sure to add it to the Arab American Plank Party 08 group as well.

Meet Our Yalla Vote Field Interns

Amir Eustice is a senior student at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor studying Near Eastern studies and Arabic literature. He recently returned from Cairo, Egypt, where he studied Arabic for two academic terms at the Arabic Language Institute at the American University of Cairo. He has previously studied Arabic in Tangiers, Morocco. Hearing Dr. James Zogby speak about presidential election campaign issues in Cairo last April inspired Amir to become involved with the Yalla Vote Campaign and learn more about his Arab American community. Amir grew up in a tightly-knit community of Coptic Egyptian Americans in the Detroit suburbs and remains an active volunteer in his church’s community activities. He is thrilled to interact with Michigan’s larger Arab American community and hopes to unite its various groups to make their voice heard on the national level.

Samar Alhinnawi is from sunny Los Angeles. She recently graduated from California State University of Northridge with a degree in Political Science. Now she is ready to apply her knowledge and assist the Arab American community in making the right decision in the 2008 elections. Samar is thrilled to be a field organizer for AAI’s Anaheim Yalla Vote campaign. For Samar, joining the “Yalla Vote” campaign is something very personal, because it will enable her to directly reach out to her community. She points out that 2008 is a turning point in our nation’s history, and no one said it better than Dr. Jim Zogby “We need to vote, like our life depends on it, because it does.” Our voice has to be heard and echoed. She looks forward to working with the Anaheim community!

Matt Ellias is the Field Organizer for the New York City branch of the Arab American Institute’s “Yalla Vote” Campaign. Matt is honored and excited to be working for an organization led by James Zogby, who has been such an inspiration to politically interested members of the Arab American community. Matt is a political creature by nature, feels a special connection to his community, and is looking forward to becoming a more active member of both the Arab American community, as well as the community of politically active Americans at large. In the pluralist political system that governs these United States, Matt is excited to be an active participant, for it is in large part the political process itself that makes this country great.

Matt was immersed in the Arab American community from birth due to his father’s vocation as an Antiochian Orthodox Priest, and has had the honor of knowing some truly great Arab Americans from the various church communities he has been a part of and has been connected to. Matt has seen the strength and efficacy of tightly knit Arab American communities working in concert with one another, and hopes to break down the superficial barriers that divide segments of the Arab American population to allow the Arab American community at large to control its own destiny through voting. Matt brings enthusiasm, creativity, and relentless hustle to the “Yalla Vote” campaign, and is proud to be a representative of the Arab American Institute.

Nadia Zaiem is a junior at Case Western Reserve University studying Political Science, Spanish, and Arabic. She has lived in Cleveland her entire life and is looking forward to working with the Arab American community here as a part of the Yalla Vote Campaign. Nadia hopes that throughout her time working as the Field Organizer here in Cleveland she can encourage more Arab-Americans, young and old, to become involved in the political process so that as a community our voices can be heard and the issues important to us addressed.

Mia Kamal is a graduate student at the University of Central Florida, pursuing an M.A. in Mass Communication. She graduated from St. John's University in Jamaica, New York in 2004 with a B.A. in Psychology. At St. John's, Mia participated in Arab Students United and the Muslim Students Association, and was an active fan of the St. John's Red Storm Basketball Team. Mia also interned with the New York City Police Department as an auxiliary police officer and volunteered as a youth mentor through campus ministry.

Mia's earliest experience with unifying the Arab American community for change was through the Palestine Media Watch organization, where she began writing letters to media outlets and elected officials, encouraging them to pay attention to and report fairly on Palestinian issues. Mia's experience in leadership covers many aspects, from being captain of several sports teams, to managing projects, to mentoring youth to become the leaders of tomorrow.

More recently, Mia worked for a non-profit specializing in community change and growth, empowering urban families. She has also helped students at the Delaware campus of Widener University School of Law develop and expand their Muslim Students Association in conjunction with Muslim students at the Harrisburg campus of Widener.