The American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is the largest grassroots Arab-American civil rights organization in the country — and it’s in crisis.
Since the brilliant leadership of Hala Maksoud, the grassroots, advocacy nature of the organization deteriorated. This began with the failed presidency of Ziad Asali, which I witnessed firsthand as an intern in 2002. Asali’s legacy as President is undoubtedly defined by his divisive, incompetent leadership that ruptured a once united institution built by Maksoud. He contested the grassroots quality of ADC, favoring a top-down organization that resulted in an abundance of internal conflict. His departure led to the arrival of former Congresswoman Mary Rose Oakar. Like Asali, Oakar has been a liability, her command characterized by distant mismanagement and a refusal to rebuild the grassroots.
With the grassroots character of ADC having been dismissed, we are now left with a total lack of genuine representation and organization in the Arab-American community. This has allowed groups that work directly against the interests of the community (such as the American Task Force on Palestine) to fill the void.
Oakar’s mismanagement materialized Friday with mass layoffs (made public on several Facebook accounts). Sadly, the partially dysfunctional organization has recognized its own state of crisis but has tried to fix it from the bottom, and not where the problem really lies: at the top.
After Friday’s layoffs, there remains a skeleton of a legal team, no lobbying function, and what is sure to be a continuation of ADC’s floundering ways that is increasingly leaving it detached from Arab America. Unfortunately, the mishandling of ADC will continue until Mary Rose Oakar (who commutes from Ohio) steps down as President, and the mantle is given to someone who realizes that power comes from the bottom-up. Isn’t the lesson of Obama’s campaign just that? There is no political efficacy without a base, and ADC’s board and Presidents have let the base dwindle.
But all is not lost, as there are still many good employees at ADC: its communications director, some organizers, and others offer a good infrastructure and credibility. What’s missing is that leader who – like Maksoud – can effectively bring the community together in order to rebuild ADC as a grassroots, advocacy group that confronts the continued oppression of Arabs in America, an oppression only made clearer by the anti-Arab bashing so prominent in the current elections.
Filed Under arab-americans, civil rights, Fadi
How about the new director is somebody who is 30 years old or younger, who is not a politician, does not aspire to be one, and doesn’t think politics is about appeasing them?
American Task Force for Palestine and ADC are following a new strategy of palling around with ‘people in power,’ rather than the people they ostensibly are supposed to empower. Fuck that shit, out with the old, in with the new.
Posted by yaman | November 3, 2008, 12:06 pmActually, that’s an old strategy.
Posted by yaman | November 3, 2008, 12:07 pmThere are many young people in ADC, problem is the older powers holding them down.
Posted by Anonymous | November 3, 2008, 1:05 pmHow about rustling up a good ol’ intifada?
Posted by salma | November 3, 2008, 2:33 pmAs someone who worked at ADC before Friday I will tell you the situation is not the way it was characterized by Fadi at all.
Fadi conveniently neglects to mention economic woes that have hit the entire non-profit sector. The fact is many non-profits, like ADC and others have had to make painful decisions about how best to reorganize resources.
It’s a shame to see Fadi kick a good organization like ADC while it’s down. I did not expect this from him. ADC has been a launching pad for many individuals and continues to do great work for the Arab American community at the grassroots and federal level.
Posted by Anonymous | November 3, 2008, 4:16 pmAnonymous, you have interesting input but why say it without a name? You know Fadi’s.
Sheesh, it’s the internets. Not even a fake name?
Posted by QuiQui | November 3, 2008, 5:47 pmIt’s not the economy stupid. It’s the leadership. ADC is being run into the ground by leadership in the office and on the board.
Posted by arabrightsunite | November 3, 2008, 6:49 pmI have heard through my sources that ADC hasn’t been paying their employees on time and has encountered serious cash flow issues. Is this an appropriate way to be running a “professional” organization? Sounds like there’s a lot of disorganization on the administrative end of this non-profit. It needs to be run like a for-profit company and pay its workers on time (and a meaningful wage) if they expect to bring about any change on Arab American issues.
- Concerned Arab American in Detroit
Posted by Anonymous | November 3, 2008, 6:50 pmFadi conveniently throws the American Task Force on Palestine under the bus.. again.
Posted by Anonymous | November 3, 2008, 10:28 pmHi, thanks for all the feedback. AnonYMous 4:16, you fail to connect the economic situation in this country with the main point here, which is the growing disconnect between the ADC and the Arab-American community. I understand your argument that the layoffs are a product of the economic woes… but from my understanding, ADC has been financially mismanaged now for the majority of MRO’s tenure. More, with a membership-based non-profit, I would expect low cost membership dues to be able to carry ADC through right now. There is a problem with membership, is there not?
Anonymous 10:28, are we not permitted to criticize ATFP, which is one of the most blatant examples of an Arab-American group working against our interests? My point was that the ATFP works against the interests of the community. This has manifested itself in a variety of ways; for example the ATFP’s attack on Arab- and Palestinian-Americans, by name, as “flaming homosexuals,” inciters of violence, and supporters of Hamas.
Posted by Fadi | November 4, 2008, 6:57 amCorrection, the ATFP did not attack any Arab-Americans as “flaming homosexuals.” This was done by Hussein Ibish, in a personal capacity. Apologies.
Posted by Fadi | November 4, 2008, 7:03 amFadi- You have an agenda and its very obvious. The person who fails to make a connection is you. You make a claim that there is a disconnect between ADC and its membership but provide no evidence or objective measure of this. Maybe its just you and your friends that have a disconnect with ADC. Don’t speak on behalf of the base unless you can actually prove it.
For your information, ADC is a large operation and has never relied on membership dues. Dues off set membership expenses to keep cost of membership low and encourage people to join.
You need to do some homework before you go out trying to attack organizations that are trying to do good instead of just bitchin on a blog and not having an positive effect in the lives of Arab-Americans.
Your a perfect example of what’s wrong with the Arab American community. Your a very good complainer and a very poor do-er.
Quit bitchin and do something good for the community.
Posted by Anonymous | November 4, 2008, 9:24 am“Your a perfect example of what’s wrong with the Arab American community. Your a very good complainer and a very poor do-er.”
Actually, Fadi has done a lot for the community, and continues to be very active. Anybody with the slightest connection to the Arab-American community would know that about him.
Posted by SD | November 4, 2008, 9:56 amObjective measures? How about the state of local chapters around the country. How many still exist and function. Not many. How about membership, how are membership numbers. Not good.
Posted by Anonymous | November 4, 2008, 9:58 amYou know what would settle this…why don’t you just post a link to a graph showing a decline in ADC Membership numbers across time, since you must have such information to be making this statement or are you, like others here, just blowin steam out your ass?
Posted by Anonymous | November 4, 2008, 10:21 amThe failure of ADC’s organization has become more evident recently, for one reason and one reason only. The lack of ability to sympathize with the arab american community! And that is because the so called leader is not arab american. You would not place a man as the president of the M.A.D.D and expect the same results as a woman. We need a young arab american to lead, and we need it now!
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