Michel Shehadeh is the Western Regional Director of the American-Arab AntiDiscrimination Committee (ADC). ADC is a civil rights organization committed to defending the rights of people of Arab descent and promoting their rich cultural heritage. ADC, which is nonsectarian and non-partisan, is the largest Arab-American grassroots organization in the United States. It was founded in 1980 by former Senator James Abourezk and has chapters nationwide. ADC is at the forefront combating defamation and negative stereotyping of Arab Americans in the media and wherever else it is practiced. In doing so, it acts as an organized framework through which Arab Americans can channel their efforts toward unified, collective and effective advocacy; by promoting a more balanced U.S. Middle East policy and serving as a reliable source for the news media and educators. By promoting cultural events and participating in community activities, ADC has made great strides in correcting anti-Arab stereotypes and humanizing the image of the Arab people. In all these efforts, ADC coordinates closely with other civil rights and human rights organizations on issues of common concern. Shehadeh is also one of the "LA 8," eight Palestinians and one Kenyan arrested in 1987 for their alleged affiliation with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), contraband for its association with "international communism, "which later became referred to as "international terrorism. "The LA 8 are all accused of engaging only in legal political activities which are protected by the First Amendment. No criminal charges have ever been filed against them. Since then, the eight have successfully fought off government efforts to deport them. A U.S. immigration judge has ruled that if the Justice Department wishes to proceed with the deportations of two of the LA8, long time legal residents Khader Hamide and Shehadeh, it must do so under the McCarran-Walter Act charges under which they were first arrested. Since these laws are no longer in effect, it is clear that any further attempt to deport any of the LA 8 would be nothing more than persecution.
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