What will certainly be referred to as a night to remember, the ACCESS 44th Annual Dinner, themed “Shaping Our Future,” was held Saturday, April 25 at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center and was both electrifying and empowering.
The event, which is known as the largest Arab American sit-down dinner in the United States, was attended by nearly 2,000 guests, including local, state and national dignitaries, and honored the extraordinary achievements of the communities ACCESS serves and those who serve others as well.
See photos from the Annual Dinner.
The program was kicked off with an exhilarating performance by Detroit’s own Second Ebenezer Majestic Voices Choir, who in solidarity with ACCESS’ Campaign to TAKE ON HATE through the National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC), performed the Oscar-winning song “Glory” from the award-winning motion picture, “Selma” for the first time in public.
Elected officials, including Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and Mayors Mike Duggan of Detroit and John O’Reilly of Dearborn, shared their perspectives on the significance of the work that ACCESS does on a local and national level.
Longtime ACCESS supporter and generous philanthropist Russell J. Ebeid announced the 16 recipients of the Ebeid Family Fund Scholarships; a scholarship program that provides educational opportunities for underserved youth and is housed within ACCESS’ Center for Arab American Philanthropy (CAAP).
The main highlight of this year’s dinner was the presentation of the Arab American of the Year awards to Dr. Khaled Mattawa, esteemed poet, writer and MacArthur Foundation ‘Genius’ award winner and Dr. Jack Shaheen, renowned mass communications expert, Middle East media consultant and accomplished author. These highly talented and revered award recipients each delivered a riveting, inspirational and emotional address to attendees about the significance of being Arab American in the world today. The 2015 Arab American of the Year videos can be viewed here.
A major feature of the evening was the recognition of the 10-year anniversary of the Arab American National Museum (AANM), a national program of ACCESS, and the premier of the #IAmACCESS video. This video accompanied the announcement of the #IAmACCESS social media campaign that will run on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram throughout the year, leading up to our 45th Anniversary next year. See a stream of social media posts from the dinner.
This year’s dinner not only celebrated the work of ACCESS, its staff and supporters, but also honored the communities that sustain us and give back through that work. ACCESS extends its sincere gratitude for the commitment and support of our staff, friends and supporters who helped make this year’s Annual Dinner so memorable.
