PROGRAM
5:00-6:30
Reception
5:45
Salat al-Maghrib
6:30-7:45
Dinner
7:45-7:50
Qur’an Recitation
7:50-7:55
Welcoming Remarks by Rep. Madinah Wilson-Anton
7:55-8:45
Fireside Chat + Q&A with Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, Amer Zahr.
Moderated by Rep. Madinah Wilson-Anton
8:45-8:55
CAIR-Philadelphia Accomplishments
8:55-9:10
Fund Raising
9:10-9:35
Entertainment by Amer Zahr
SPEAKERS
Dr. Marc Lamont Hill
Dr. Marc Lamont Hill is one of the leading intellectual voices in the country.He is currently the host of BET News, The Grio, Al Jazeera UpFront, and the Coffee & Books podcast. An award-winning journalist, Dr. Hill has received numerous prestigious awards from the National Association of Black Journalists, GLAAD, and the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.
Dr. Hill is a Presidential Professor of Anthropology and Urban Education at the City University of New York Graduate Center. Prior to that, he held positions at Morehouse College, Temple University, and Columbia University.
Since his days as a youth in Philadelphia, Dr. Hill has been a social justice activist and organizer. He has worked on campaigns to end the death penalty, abolish prisons, and release numerous political prisoners. Dr. Hill has also worked in solidarity with human rights movements around the world. He is the founder and director of The People’s Education Center in Philadelphia, as well as the owner of Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee & Books.
Ebony Magazine has named him one of America’s 100 most influential Black leaders.
Representative Madinah Wilson-Anton
Madinah Wilson-Anton grew up in the 26th district in Delaware, where she lives with her family. She attended Gauger-Cobbs Middle School and graduated from the Charter School of Wilmington. Madinah is an alumna of the University of Delaware and holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Asian Studies. In 2022, Madinah earned a Masters of Arts in Urban Affairs and Public Policy from the Joseph R. Biden Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration. She has formally studied Arabic, Chinese, French, and Spanish.
While at the University of Delaware, Madinah was actively involved in several campus organizations where she held leadership positions, including the Muslim Student Association, Students for Justice in Palestine, and her sorority Lambda Pi Chi.
She worked for two years as a legislative fellow in the state legislature, and an additional year as a legislative aide for the 26th and 27th districts. In this capacity, she communicated with residents and helped them with a variety of issues. This experience gave her first-hand exposure to the issues and concerns of her fellow community members.
Currently, Madinah serves as State Representative for the 26th District full-time.
Amer Zahr
Amer Zahr is a Palestinian Arab American comedian, speaker, writer, academic, and adjunct professor at University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. He draws on his experiences growing up as a child of Palestinian refugees, performing and lecturing on topics like politics, society, culture, identity, Palestine, Islam, and more.
He has produced and headlined in 3 of his own comedy tours, “1001 Laughs Comedy Tour,” “We’re Not White!” and “In 1948.” He founded and produced the annual “1001 Laughs Ramallah Comedy Festival,” a production in Palestine that features numerous comedians and shows, premiering in August 2015. The festival entertains over 2,000 locals annually, and it still goes on today.
DINNER
Reception and dinner details coming soon.
CHILDCARE
• Children under age 10 are not permitted to enter the main banquet hall.
• Childcare area will be designated by signage.
Check-In (5-6 PM):
- Parent will complete child registration form.
- Child and parent receive wrist band.
- Parent can supply diaper bags, special food, comfort items.
- Childcare room will be CLOSED at all times.
- Children who are potty-trained will be accompanied to the bathrooms. No one can go alone.
- There will be a minimum of 5 childcare professionals in the room at all times.
- Age-appropriate activities and entertainment will be provided.
- Dinner will be served at 6 PM. If your child has any food allergies, please let us know.
- Please pick up your child promptly after the banquet ends.
- You may be asked for ID to match your child’s wrist band.
- Collect personal items.
Program: Children will be entertained by presenters from Mad Science, who will help kids see the fun side of science and allow them to explore the world in an interactive environment that feels like play.
Children will have other age-appropriate games and crafts. There will be security procedures in place for the duration of the event.
Children’s Meal: Coconut chicken fingers, pasta with pink sauce, and orange-roasted sweet potatoes.