WASHINGTON -- October 23, 2007 -- The Arab American Institute (AAI) will host its 2007 National Leadership Conference (NLC), "Our Voice, Our Future: Yalla Vote ’08," from October 26-28 in Dearborn, MI, home to the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the U.S.

The quadrennial conference, held before each presidential election year, will bring together over 30 Arab American national community organizations and hundreds of community leaders from 20 states.  The conference will feature Democratic and Republican presidential candidates, including New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) and Rep. Ron Paul (R) of Texas.  Democratic presidential candidates Rep. Dennis Kucinich (OH) and former Sen. Mike Gravel (AK) will also speak at the conference, with others still to be scheduled.  

“The NLC is especially important this year because issues that have always affected our community, such as civil liberties, immigration and our policies in the Middle East have become crucial issues for all Americans,” said AAI President James Zogby.  “It is vital both for the Arab American community and for all Americans that presidential candidates speak to these issues and have a candid, straightforward debate on issues such as the war in Iraq, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and issues of civil liberties.”   

Other notable attendees at the conference will include Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI.), Sen. John Sununu (R-NH) and Rep. Charles Boustany (R) of Louisiana.  Republican activist Grover Norquist, of Americans for Tax Reform, will participate in a forum on the use of civil liberties, immigrant rights and national security as wedge issues in the 2008 campaign. Co-participants include Michael Ostrolenk of the American Conservative Defense Alliance and Kary Moss of the ACLU-Michigan.  Republican strategist Ed Rollins, Democratic strategist Peter Fenn and pollster John Zogby will sit on a panel analyzing the 2008 presidential race, and Steve Clemons (Washington Note), Spencer Ackerman (TPM Muckraker) and Reihan Salam (The American Scene) will sit on a panel on a blogger’s panel entitled, “Keeping Them Honest.”

The NLC will be held at the DoubleTree Hotel in Dearborn MI. Media can register to cover the conference by clicking here , or contact Andy Sabino, AAI Public Affairs Coordinator, at 202-429-9210 x26 or This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

Click here for the full conference agenda.  

AAI  is a nonprofit organization committed to the civic and political empowerment of Americans of Arab descent.  AAI provides policy, research and public affairs services to support a broad range of community activities.  Visit  www.aaiusa.org