March 29, 2024
Annapolis, US 41 F

Films and personal accounts tell the stories of immigration and Islamophobia at AACC

Comedians Negin Farsad, left, and Dean Obeidallah act out a scene from their documentary about people's fears of Islam, "The Muslims Are Coming!" Screening of the documentary is part of several events Anne Arundel Community College is having April 2 on the theme, "Combating Islamophobia on Campus, in our Community and Around the World," one of the events in the Year of Social Justice at AACC. All events are in the Cade Center for Fine Arts Room 219 on the Arnold campus, a panel discussion about Women and Islam is from 12:30-1:30 p.m.; the screening of the documentary is from 4-6 p.m. and a discussion afterward is from 6-8 p.m. Visit http://www.aacc.edu/ctp/oralhistory/islamophobia.cfm for more information.
Comedians Negin Farsad, left, and Dean Obeidallah act out a scene from their documentary about people’s fears of Islam, “The Muslims Are Coming!” Screening of the documentary is part of several events Anne Arundel Community College is having April 2 on the theme, “Combating Islamophobia on Campus, in our Community and Around the World,” one of the events in the Year of Social Justice at AACC. All events are in the Cade Center for Fine Arts Room 219 on the Arnold campus, a panel discussion about Women and Islam is from 12:30-1:30 p.m.; the screening of the documentary is from 4-6 p.m. and a discussion afterward is from 6-8 p.m. Visit http://www.aacc.edu/ctp/oralhistory/islamophobia.cfm for more information.

Struggles of people of other cultures, whether they immigrated to the United States or were born here, is the focus of a series of free events this spring at Anne Arundel Community College.

• March 25 – 2 p.m. Reyna Grande, author of “The Distance Between Us,” Robert E. Kauffman Theater in the Pascal Center for Performing Arts.

• April 2 – Three events as part of “Combating Islamophobia on Campus, in our Community and Around the World,” all in the Cade (CADE) Center for Fine Arts Room 219: 12:30-1:30 p.m. “Women and Islam” panel discussion; 4-6 p.m. Screening of 90-minute documentary, “The Muslims Are Coming!” and 6-8 p.m. Discussion/question-answer session with two comedians/filmmakers of the documentary and a representative from the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Maryland.

• Events for Immigration Awareness Month: April 1 – 6-9 p.m. Immigration Roundtable discusses President Barack Obama’s immigration plan and the controversial practice of family detention, CADE Room 219; April 8 – 5-9 p.m. Ask an Immigration Attorney Night, four immigration attorneys offer free, anonymous, 20-minute sessions on a first-come, first-served basis, Center for Applied Learning and Technology (CALT) Room 100; April 15 – 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Immigration Heritage Day, international cuisine to be provided, CADE Room 219; April 22 – 6-9 p.m. Review and discussion of movie, “Who is Dayani Cristal?” that tells one immigrant’s story, CADE Room 219.

At the March 25 event, Grande will tell her story as a 10-year-old who came to the U.S. as an undocumented immigrant to be reunited with her parents who were already here. She will highlight her journey to be a naturalized citizen and some of her concerns about ways immigration policies impact families. It is co-sponsored by the First-Year Experience program, whose students read the book, and by the college’s Student Engagement office, the Hispanic Heritage Fund and AACC’s summer program for Latino students, Adelanté. It is part of the Year of Social Justice at AACC. For information, visit http://www.aacc.edu/sasp/calendar.cfm.

“Combating Islamophobia on Campus, in our Community and Around the World” also is part of the Year of Social Justice at AACC. The panel discussion will include two of the documentary’s filmmakers, comedians Negin Farsad and Dean Obeidallah, as well as CAIR-Maryland representative Zainab Chaudry, AACC faculty and students. Farsad, Obeidallah and Chaudry also will lead the post-documentary discussion. For information, visit http://www.aacc.edu/ctp/oralhistory/islamophobia.cfm.

The Immigration Awareness Month events were organized by the Homeland Security and Criminal Justice Institute. The April 1 Immigration Roundtable will include panelists speaking both for and against President Obama’s immigration plan. The April 8 Ask an Immigration Attorney program was designed so that the consultations will be anonymous. People who would like a consultation will be given a number to register. At Immigration Heritage Day on April 15, immigrants will share stories and food from around the world will be served. The April 22 film, “Who Is Dayani Cristal,” uses that one immigrant as a way to open discussion about how immigration is happening today. For information about these events, contact Anika Ingram at [email protected] or Adil Qaiyumi, [email protected].

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