Author Archive: Erica

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Greater Boston Writers Resist!

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Boston, MA | Sunday, January 15th is the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr, and on that day—five days before Donald Trump takes his oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution—hundreds of Greater Boston residents will come together to re-inaugurate their shared commitment to the rights and values that are essential to American democracy.

Greater Boston Writers Resist will feature readings and performances by authors, artists, young writers, and special guests. In resistance to the divisive and increasingly hostile political climate, this event will re-affirm the unifying democratic pillars now under threat, such as freedom of expression, freedom of the press, freedom of worship, equality, and diversity. This event is free to all.

January 15, 2017 / 1:30–4:30 pm

Rabb Hall, Boston Public Library
Entrance at 700 Boylston St.

Participants in the program include Rob Arnold, Jabari Asim, Liana Asim, James Carroll, Martha Collins, Chris Cooper, Laura van den Berg, Danielle Legros Georges, Jennifer Haigh, Rachel Kadish, Helen Elaine Lee, Giles Li, Jennifer De Leon, Marianne Leone, Pablo Medina, Alma Richeh, Paul Yoon, young writers from the Greater Boston area, and special guests.

Greater Boston Writers Resist is independently organized and co-sponsored by The Critical Flame, PEN New England, Beacon Press, Aforementioned Productions, AGNI, Arrowsmith Press, Black Ocean, Blacksmith House Poetry Series, Boston Review, the Center for Arabic Culture, the City of Boston’s Office of New Bostonians and the Office of the Poet Laureate, CONSEQUENCE Magazine, the Dominican Development Center, the Greater Boston Latino Network, Grub Street, Harvard Bookstore, Harvard Review, Louder than a Bomb, Mass LEAP, Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, Memorious, Ploughshares, The Poets’ Theater, PoemWorks, Post Road, Salamander, and the UMASS-Boston Creative Writing MFA.

Writers Resist demonstrations will take place on January 15 in more than fifty cities across three continents, an international counter-inaugural demonstration.

For Immediate Release:January 4, 2016

Contact: Daniel Evans Pritchard Editor, The Critical Flame daniel@danielevanspritchard.com

CAC 2017 Art Calendar

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Twelve distinguished American and Arab- American artists across the country entrusted us with their artwork and allowed us to create the first CAC calendar for 2017!

We will sell this calendar as a fundraising project to support the CAC programs and events!

If you would like to have this calendar, please mail a check of $20 (shipping Included) with your address and we will mail the calendar back to you!

Mail your check to Center for Arabic Culture 191 Highland Av. 6B Somerville, MA 02143

With your support we can always be pioneers in spreading Arabic arts and culture as a bridge of love, tolerance, and understanding.

Your donation is tax exempt!

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Donate to CAC

Support CAC Mission! Working Together, We Make A Difference.

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Support CAC Mission! Working Together, We Make A Difference.

Dear CAC Family,
Every day your support makes it possible for CAC to continue to grow and thrive and for its staff and volunteers to focus on improving existing programs and developing new ones that enrich our community’s needs and aspirations. Today we are launching our Year-End Campaign. Money from the campaign will go to helping us reach new goals, like:arabic-school
  • Invest in newer programs that will represent, entertain, and bridge our culture and our community with others.
  •  Grow from 16 events per year in 2016 to 20 events in 2017.
  • Establish the CAC Cultural Club this spring targeting our community members, especially seniors, that offer both social and cultural outings.
  • Enrich the CAC 4th Annual Arab Cultural Month and Festival this April with attractive activities.
  • Establish a CAC summer camp that provides children with skills necessary to develop and connect with the culture.
  •  Increase our student count at the Arabic school from 101 in 2016, to 120 in 2017.
  • Offer our teachers professional development training and strengthen our curriculum.
  • Allow our choir to grow and perform 5 concerts per year. aa2
We’ve also been working hard to grow and diversify our board with new members, and are very excited to be injecting new ideas and energy in the group. With that, we are very happy to share some of our accomplishments this year 2016:
  • CAC collaborated for a third semester with the Agha Khan Documentation Center at MIT to showcase 3 unique movies followed by speaker-led discussions.
  • The CAC 3rd Annual Arab Cultural Month and Festival was the most successful to date with over 240 attendees.
  • Twelve distinguished Arab American artists across the country entrusted us with their artwork and allowed us to create the first CAC calendar for 2017.
  • Enrollment in our Arabic cooking classes is at its highest with 50 attendees in 2016.
  • CAC co-sponsored the “All Strangers are Kin” book event with Harvard Bookstore and the “Boston-Basra” art project with the Fort Point Theater during summer and fall 2016.
  • Emerging Arab American artists’ work like Kinan Idnawi, Aliya Cycon Project and many others is promoted by CAC’s active electronic weekly newsletter.
  • Our Arabic children’s choir performed at local schools and organizations like the city of Somerville MLK celebration and the International School of Boston spring festival.
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However, without your continuous support, our accomplishments would not have been possible. We believe in our mission and we invite you to continue supporting it by giving generously. You can donate online by clicking the button below, or by mailing back the envelop enclosed with your letter to help ensure that we continue the work and do even more in 2017.

Donate to CACWe welcome your ideas, comments and suggestions on what you’d like to see CAC do in 2017, and we’d love also to have you participate in any way you can. Help us grow our beloved center and spread the arts and culture of our community as a bridge of love, tolerance and understanding.

Thank you for your trust, continued support, and friendship.

Randa Shedid, J.D.

President

CAC is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Donations are tax exempt.

Trans-Arab Research Institute: Scholarship Donations

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Trans-Arab Research Institute

www.tari.org

The Naseer Aruri/Mujid Kazimi Palestinian Students Scholarship

 

Dear CAC Community:

As you well know, the future of Palestine depends on developing its human resources.  Educating the young is the top priority for sustaining and leading the Palestinian people to a better future.  There are no shortcuts to that future.  Patience and steadfastness (“Sumuud”) are required to ensure that a constant supply of informed, skilled, and determined Palestinians graduate from Palestinian universities and go on to contribute to the social, economic, cultural, scientific, and political fabric of their community.

Palestinian families do not always have the financial means to send their children to institutions of higher learning.  We all know about the economic conditions imposed on Palestinians by the Occupying Power.  Yet we also know of the success and contributions of those who have managed to enroll in a university, graduate, and go on to enrich their community.  More, many more, are needed.  Together, we can help.  No effort is too little.

We are asking you today to contribute to the Naseer Aruri/Mujid Kazimi Palestinian Students Scholarship, which was established by the Trans-Arab Research Institute (TARI) to honor the memory of these two outstanding Palestinian scholars and educators.  Scholarships under this program are given to qualified Palestinian students enrolled in Palestinian universities in Gaza and the West Bank, including Jerusalem.  TARI is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.  As such, your contribution is tax-exempt.  The Scholarship Selection Committee is made up of:  Joyce Aruri, Nazik Kazimi, and Leila Farsakh.

Your contribution to the Scholarship fund will help finance tuition fees for as many qualified and financially needy Palestinian students as total annual donations allow.  Scholarship awards will be made yearly.

Please fill out the enclosed pledge form and mail it with your contribution.  We thank you in advance for your consideration of supporting Palestinian students in Palestine.

For further information, you can contact either Joyce Aruri at naruri@aol.com or Nazik Kazimi at nazikdk@gmail.com.

Sincerely,

The Scholarship Selection Committee:

Joyce Aruri, Nazik Kazimi, and Leila Farsakh

 

 

 

If you would like to donate, download and complete the following form:

 

tari-institute-donations-form

 

Please contact info@cacboston.org, or tariorg@yahoo.com with any questions!

November 11th Film: "EDWARD SAID ON ORIENTALISM"

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The CAC & Aga Khan Documentation Center at MIT Present:

“Edward Said On Orientalism”

orientalism_first_edition

Date: November 11th, 2016

Time: 6:30pm

Location: Center for Arabic Culture

191 Highland Ave Suite 6B. Somerville, MA 02143

About the Film

The film discusses Edward W. Said’s provocative work. His hypothesis in his book Orientalism is represented along with his take on a variety of contemporary issues of cultural, historic and global importance.

 

Our films are free and open to the public. Each film will be followed by guided discussion. The Center for Arabic Culture is a non-profit organization dedicated to celebrating the Arabic Culture in all of its regional and historic varieties and links to other culture in an open, democratic, and humanistic way.

Registration Still Open for Children's Playgroup!

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CAC Arabic Children’s Playgroup

Registration is now open at the CAC Arabic Playgroup! Classes Starts Sunday Sept. 18, 2016!
Register you child at the first and the most successful Arabic Playgroup in the State!
Teach your child Arabic through creative and contemporary methods! Introduce them to their culture and let them LOVE IT!
Class time in 2016/2017 is at 3:30- 5:00 pm

Location: Mt. Ida College, Ricker Hall- 777 Dedham St. Newton, MA

Click here for Class times
Click here for school calender

Play Group (2)

The playgroup will focus on learning the Arabic language through games, songs, story telling and other activities.

The class will create an environment to engage the kids with the language in an attractive way.

The idea is to establish a social and educational experience for kids so they can have a stronger connection with their language and culture through a contemporary method of teaching and learning. Parents are encouraged to be part of the experience!!

The class is for children ages 3-5 years old. It will help your child love and learn the Arabic language as wekk as improve in an invaluable motor and social skills.

Playgroup class time: Sundays  3:30- 5:00 pm.

Registration

$400/ student for fall semester

$750/ student for both fall and spring semesters

For more information or to register, please call 617-893-1175, or contact us at: aricheh@cacboston.org

Between Allah and Me

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In Collaboration with
the Arlington International Film Festival,
CAC is Proud to Co-Present:
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Between Allah and Me

(and Everyone Else) (60 min)

Kyoko Yokomad, Writer/Director | Canada | 2014 | Doc

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When: Sunday, October 30 at 2:20PM

Where: Captiol Theatre, Arlington, MA

About the Film: The film explores the challenges of four Canadian Muslim women making decisions either to start or stop wearing hijab, unveiling how the hijab carries many diverse meanings and messages, and its intricate and complex effects on Muslim women, their families and communities, and the larger multicultural society.

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Website: www.hijabdocumentary.com

Twitter: @hijabdoc

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Project.Her.Choice

Tickets:  https://www.eventsprout.com/register/2016aiff

This year’s Arlington International Film Festival takes place from October 27 – 30.

View their full program of events here!

The Arlington International Film Festival’s mission is to foster appreciation for different cultures by exploring the lives of people around the globe through independent film — to nurture the next generation of filmmakers within our community. We screen narrative and documentary features and shorts plus a special category of short films by High School Student Filmmakers. Panel discussions and/or Q&A’s follow many special screenings, framing provocative conversations with filmmakers/producers, academics, as well as the business community. www.AIFFest.org

 

Lebanese Film Showing to Benefit "Friends of the House of Hope Shelter, Inc."

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Friends of the

House of Hope Shelter, Inc.

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PRESENTS

The Lebanese film:

STABLE UNSTABLE

Abbout Productions & MC Distribution

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Friday, October 14, 2016

Doors open 7 p.m. • Film 7:30

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Hellenic College

Maliotis Cultural Center

50 Goddard Avenue

Brookline, MA 02445

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$20 in advance • $25 at the door

For tickets: FriendsHouseHopeShelter@gmail.com

Telephone: Jeymie 857.389.1239 | Camile 617.335.7705

November 11th Film: "EDWARD SAID ON ORIENTALISM"

Posted on by

The CAC & Aga Khan Documentation Center at MIT Present:

“Edward Said On Orientalism”

orientalism_first_edition

Date: November 11th, 2016

Time: 6:30pm

Location: Center for Arabic Culture

191 Highland Ave Suite 6B. Somerville, MA 02143

About the Film

The film discusses Edward W. Said’s provocative work. His hypothesis in his book Orientalism is represented along with his take on a variety of contemporary issues of cultural, historic and global importance.

 

Our films are free and open to the public. Each film will be followed by guided discussion. The Center for Arabic Culture is a non-profit organization dedicated to celebrating the Arabic Culture in all of its regional and historic varieties and links to other culture in an open, democratic, and humanistic way.