The Community-Engaged Alliance has awarded the IU Indy Arabic Studies Program a $4,000 grant to support the work of IU Indianapolis students and members of ADC Indiana, the Indiana chapter of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), during the spring, 2025, semester.
Their goal is to use art, legal advocacy, and community-building to prevent or mitigate the harm caused by the pervasive rise in anti-Arab violence and discrimination in the United States. In the past year, hate crimes, employment discrimination, hazing, and other forms of harassment directed toward Arabs have dramatically increased (NBC News, April 13, 2024). Thousands of bias incidents have been reported to the ADC.
ADC Indiana members will lend their expertise to supporting Arab Hoosier community responses to such crimes. Attorney Salma Qaddourah (IU McKinney ’14), president of the organization, plans to mentor students who wish to focus on legal advocacy, inculcating awareness among Arab Americans in Indiana of their rights under both federal and state law. Maria Nimri and Yaqoub Saadeh (IUI ’24) hope to link students to both Arab Christian and Arab Muslims engaged in community-building, community organizing, and activism. Salma Taman (IU McKinney ’09, IUI Lilly ’25) will mentor students on the practice of using art to challenge discrimination against Arab Americans.
The project director is Edward Curtis, the creator of the Arab Indianapolis community history project and director of Arabic Studies at the IU School of Liberal Arts in Indianapolis. Students enrolled in his spring class, Introduction to Arab American Studies (NELC/AMST/REL 261), will learn about the history and life of Arab Americans in Indiana while also gaining valuable, practical skills in what are called “high impact practices.” Those high impact practices, a cornerstone of undergraduate education at IU Indianapolis, include community engagement, collaborative problem solving, service learning, undergraduate research, and global learning.
The general public is invited to join students and ADC members in a workshop on May 1, 2025, to celebrate and assess the project’s outcomes. Other public activities will be announced throughout the spring term.
The project’s funder, the Community-Engaged Alliance (CEA), partners with Indiana higher education institutions to strengthen relationships with local communities and produce civic-minded graduates. It is the only organization in Indiana that works with all institutional levels (public, both large and small, independent, and two-year) as well as community organizations. Its executive director, Elijah Howe, PhD, said, “CEA is honored to support IU Indianapolis and ADC Indiana in their vital work to combat bias and discrimination against Arab Americans in our state. Through art and community-building, this partnership provides IU students and community leaders with meaningful, hands-on experiences that promote equity and strengthens the civic fabric of Indiana.”
