PACC 2022 Annual Report

2022 Annual Report

By the community, for the community

Annual Report 2022 Palestinian American Community Center

paccusa.org @paccusa

Sawsan Zaky

“As a second generation Palestinian American, when I was growing up we did not have any resources like the PACC center, we did not have a community of Palestinians where we can come and meet others like us and learn about our culture, learn about our heritage, learn about our country in the way that PACC teaches it to our children.”

2 Annual Report 2022

3 PACC Our Theory of Change Palestine Education Empowering the Community Civic Engagement Social Services 2022 Milestones 7 9 11 13 15 16

A Word from the Executive Director and Board President

Annual Report 2022 4

Thanks to you, 2022 has been a year to write down in the history books for the Palestinian American Community Center (PACC). You made history by renaming a part of Main Street into Palestine Way. You celebrated the inauguration of Palestine Way with our first-ever Palestine Way Street Festival which attracted over 5,000 people from around the tri-state area. This was a moment that we will make sure to share with our great-grandchildren. Thanks to you we are able to continue to grow and improve with every passing year. You have had a direct impact on our community by holding over 30 programs this year with over 600 attendees. You made a real difference in the lives of many members of our community! You have helped 7 people pass their Citizenship test and attain their US citizenship. You re-launched our community garden and have given our youth the chance to work with their hands. Through our second Advocacy and Civic Engagement cohort, you cultivated 8 youth leaders that are more engaged in their community and more aware of their role in the Palestinian struggle. You helped facilitate 50 different events that reached over 10,000 people, 8 of which were part of our Palestine Monday series where you were able to nationally spread awareness about different parts of the Palestinian struggle. Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, we could only dream of large in-person events and you changed that with our largest PACC Day to date, which had over 1,200 attendees. You were able to host our first-ever Community Resource and Health Fair that brought 19 organizations from around New Jersey to bring their diverse services to our Arab American Community. You engaged in 14 marketing campaigns centered around the Palestinian struggle that highlighted our community. Through these campaigns, you have reached over 40,000 people around the world on our social media

outlets. You were there for those in need and hosted 9 social service-oriented events and you were able to help over 1,500 people. Through your contributions to our Mutual Aid events, you were able to help 120 families. Through Ramadan boxes and food vouchers, you helped over 250 families with food insecurity. You held 32 community outreach and civic engagement efforts that benefited about 1,000 individuals. You hosted the only Board of Education Forum in Clifton this year and you registered 70 people to vote. You have accomplished much more than these numbers can attest to; you have shifted our community culture from one that may have shied away from its identity into one that is ready to speak out and speak for the Palestinian struggle.

Everything we do is centered on our theory of change: If we empower individuals in our community, then our community will be organized and stronger. If we empower our community, then we will enable positive change in our society here and in Palestine. If we empower change grounded in the pursuit of equality and justice for all, then we will see a free Palestine.

This model is what has always grounded and will continue to ground us. Thank you for empowering and organizing our community and actively working towards a positive impact on our society here and in Palestine. This is your community. This is your legacy. This is your Palestinian American Community Center. Gratefully,

Rania Mustafa Executive Director Diab A Mustafa President of the Board of Directors

5 PACC

Our Mission

Annual Report 2022 6

To sustain and strengthen ties to Palestinian heritage, while empowering the success and well-being of the entire community

If we empower individuals in our community, then our community will be organized and stronger.

If we empower our community, then we will enable positive change in our society here and in Palestine.

If we empower change grounded in the pursuit of equality and justice for all, then we will see a free Palestine.

Our Theory of Change

7 PACC

Fedah Mohammed

“Before I started working at PACC, I never really had a sense of belonging to the community or sense of belonging anywhere, but just within the last year of working at PACC I’ve gained a community that I can really relate to and rely on, and I’ve really gained a sense of purpose in my life that I properly wouldn’t found elsewhere. Working at PACC has made me truly see the importance of holding onto my palestinian roots and its genuinely made me prouder than ever to be Palestinian.”

Annual Report 2022 8

students between the ages of 5 and 14 for our Junior HOPE course

9 PACC 3

29

21

67

16

8

2

150

3

5,000

Renaming

3

9

5

1

6

10,000

You are leading Palestine education efforts to ensure that Palestinian history, struggle, and resistance to presentday occupation are never forgotten or overlooked.

volumes of Falastin, our literary magazine

participants ages 18 and up for our Freedom is the Future Course

High School Students for the Holding onto Palestine Existence (HOPE) Course

Advocacy and Civic Engagement (ACE) future leader interns

Palestine Mondays that uplift different parts of the Palestinian struggle

Palestine Flag Raisings

participants from around the country for our annual PACC Conference

Sunday Series uplifting the voices of Palestinians on the ground

+ attendees at our historic Palestine Way Street

and Festival

Homeland Project participants

Palestine and Solidarity Marketing Campaigns

SJPs part of our SJP Convening and Advisory group

Student Fellowship launched to focus on Palestine legislative research

Workshops about the Palestinian struggle given to other organizations, schools and universities

+ views on Facebook live and Zoom participants

Annual Report 2022 10

“I am very happy to be part of the PACC family. PACC gave me the opportunity to live a better life and they opened a path of success for me and they gave me new hope in life. I pray for them with all my heart.”

Jamalat Assaf

11 PACC You are providing cultural, social, educational, and recreational activities to our local community members to help them integrate into American society while holding onto their Arab heritage. 30 different programs for our community with over 600 participants 7 people passed their US citizenship test and became citizens 11 7 Women’s brunches 5 Community Oriented Marketing Campaigns Workshop Wednesdays 9,000+ views on Social Media Blood Drives 4 6 PACC day 1 1 Community Garden Parenting workshops 3 2 Book Club meetings people in attendance 8,000+ 3 Game nights and networking 2 Community Trips Book Talks 3 Large Community Events

Eqab Hasouneh

Annual Report 2022 12

“I get so happy when I see the Palestinian American Community Center. My heart is at ease because this is considered my community. In addition, everyone associated with PACC is pure-hearted and kind. I love PACC, the people in it and I love that we are doing something amazing in the name of Palestine.”

PACC Community members mapped out their community 13 You are ensuring that our local Arab/Palestinian community’s voice is elevated and heard by local and national elected officials. Community members testified in 4 Redistricting Community Hearings proposing a community map of Arab Americns in NJ Community events that PACC tabled for 7 Arab American Community stories collected People registered to vote 13 15 50 Phone calls made to our community members 2 650 Clifton Election Forums 50

Atiyeh Suleiman

“PACC helps people with everything. They help with homework, they have soccer, basketball, dabka, arabic. I love the people who work here. They are very nice to me and help me with everything.”

Annual Report 2022 14

15 PACC YOU are engaging in social service and mutual aid support to provide both short-term and long-term sustainable relief both here and in Palestine. In our community, you were able to provide: For our community on the ground in Palestine, you were able to provide: 7 students scholarships up to $1,000 through the Ayman Hamdeh Community Service Scholarship and the PACC Clifton High School Scholarship 200 families clothes and household items through our Mutual Aid events 250 families food boxes and food items during Ramadan 200 children Toys for Eid 400 families vouchers for meat and produce $10,000 in Zakat Assistance $7,000 worth of wheelchairs for the disabled in Askar Refugee Camp in Nablus 10 vulnerable children in Palestine with financial relief for the year through Islamic Relief 500 students with backpacks and school supplies in Jalazone Refugee Camp in Ramallah

2022 Milestones

Took on lead role in state level redistricting work by representing the Arab population in NJ

January

Inaugurated into first Cohort of Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation’s new Momentum Fund

February March

Hosted PACC Day, largest in-person event since the onset of the Covid-19 Pandemic Attended council meeting to rename Palestine Way Presented with the Community Service Award from Congressman Pascrell’s office

Launched New Playground

Brought back the Homeland Project after a 2 year hiatus because of Covid-19 Launched the Muna and Basem Hishmeh Endowed Student Fellow for Palestine in partnership with CSSR

July

Received Islamic Relief’s Community Service Award Recognized in NJ Alliance for Immigrant Justice Newsletter

August September

Hosted the first ever Community Resource & Health Fair Launched a new advisory role for local Students for Justice in Palestine and held our first convening

Annual Report 2022 16

Hosted the first ever Palestine Way Street Festival with over 5,000 attendees marking PACC’s largest event

Presented with the “Making Democracy Work” Award by The League of Women Voters for demonstrating an extraordinary commitment to improving our democracy

Completed renovation of fully functioning Commercial Kitchen

May June

Relaunched our Community Garden Held our Clifton and Paterson Palestine Flag Raisings Participated in the Immigrant Heritage Rally

Hosted our largest Fall Fest yet Launched our third ACE cohort with the best curriculum yet

October

November

Hosted the only Board of Education Forum in Clifton

Hosted our 1st Gala post Covid Hired Advocacy and Community Outreach Coordinator

December

17 PACC

Amira Abdelhadi

“I am very grateful to PACC because without them I would not know how to make all these traditional Arab and Palestinian foods and I would not know as much about dabka as I had before. PACC has helped better my personal life because I have built personal relationships with a lot of people here and I made a lot more friends than I did before.”

Annual Report 2022 18

Ameer Rabboh

“I am grateful for PACC because it has taught me where I came from and helped me understand my culture. I also enrolled in PACC’s course HOPE which has taught me about Palestine and the ways the general public can help. This course specifically taught me and opened my eyes, and showed me the side of Palestine that the media doesn’t cover.”

19 PACC

Annual Report 2022 20

Feras Deeb Sufian Mahmoud

21 PACC

Rania Mustafa Executive Director Reem Qasem Abire Sabbagh Fadia Alagha Fedah Mohammed Lialie Mustafa

of Operations and Logistics

Inas Rabee Yousef Ziyadi Wasayef Bsharat Marketing and Design Strategist Program Coordinator Marketing Coordinator Office Administrator & NNAAC Fellow Civic Engagement Intern & NNAAC Fellow Administrative Assistant Intern

Director Palestine Education Director

Thank you to all our generous donors! PACC is your legacy. You are strenghening ties to Palestinian heritage while empowering the success and well-being of our entire community.