Cultural and Community Center

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  is the Executive Director of the Arab Cultural and Community Center in San Francisco. She has worked at the Center since 2006, during which time she has served in each program starting off as the center's Social Services and Domestic Violence Prevention Coordinator and later fulfilling the Youth program coordinator role. In her most recent years before becoming Executive Director, Loubna launched the first and coordinated subsequent Annual Arab Women's Conferences during which time she served as the organizations Special Projects and Civic Engagement Coordinator. Prior to accepting the Executive Director position, Loubna was the Cultural Programs Director. Loubna is an MA Candidate in the College of Ethnic Studies: Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas initiative at SFSU. As an undergraduate student and a leader of the General Union of Palestinian Students (GUPS) at San Francisco State University, Loubna Qutami was part of the team that spearheaded the realization of the Palestinian Cultural Mural honoring the late Professor Edward Said on the Cesar Chavez Student Center. Loubna has been a central leader in youth and social justice mobilization both in her local community and trans-nationally.

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it is the Associate Director of the ACCC. She first came to the center as a child when her father took her to Saturday Arabic classes, and she has remained loyal ever since. Inas received her B.A. in Consumer and Family Studies from San Francisco State University and began working as the Youth Program Assistant for the Youth Empowerment and Academic Enrichment Program at the Arab Cultural and Community Center in 2001. She became Youth Program Director in 2003 and Associate Director in 2005. In addition to establishing support groups and clubs for the Arab and South East Asian youth across the Bay Area, Inas organized an after-school tutoring program for children in the Tenderloin and has been integral in producing the Arab Cultural Festival throughout her career.

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it is the ACCC's Cultural Program Director. She coordinates monthly events, panels, discussions, classes, and more. Leena graduated from the University of California, San Diego, with a bachelors in International Studies, Political Science, with a special emphasis on Middle Eastern studies. She worked with the Muslim Public Affairs Council as their Special Projects Coordinator for 3 years until she was granted a special scholarship to study abroad at Birzeit University in the West Bank, and volunteer at various refugee camps with UNRWA. Throughout her years at UCSD, Leena spent most her time organizing around issues that pertained to justice, equality, freedom, and the right to self-determination. As one of the leaders of Students for Justice in Palestine, Leena worked closely with other students to bring forth a divestment bill that would target companies profiting from war crimes and the international law violations committed against the West Bank and Gaza. Now pursuing her M.A. in Global Development and Social Justice from St. Johns University, she is thrilled to be part of the amazing ACCC family and to bring you another year of exciting events!

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it is the Social Services Director at the Arab Cultural and Community Center. In this capacity, she assists hundreds of immigrant families transition to a new life in America by providing social work services. Vera also teaches English as a Second Language to new immigrant Arab women, facilitates life skills trainings, nutrition and parenting classes, and trains Bay Area health, social, and legal service providers in cultural competency. Vera is also the ACCC's trained and certified domestic violence case manager, responsible for advocating and interpreting for Arab victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking. Vera grew up in a small Palestinian village with an Italian-American mother and Japanese step-father. She earned a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work and a Master's Degree in Peace and Development Studies. She traveled the Arab world for many years producing in-depth documentaries for various Scandinavian and European TV stations. Vera is passionate about women's issues, and is extremely grateful to utilize her multicultural background and professional expertise in working with the Arab community in the San Francisco Bay Area.

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Sanaa is a Moroccan activist who is thrilled to be joining the ACCC as the Social Services Coordinator to provide moral and logistical support for immigrant families who need help navigating the complexities of a new cultural milieu. As such, Sanaa assists with ESL classes, life skills training, and translation services, primarily for new immigrant women from the Arab world. Her responsibilities also include case management, cultural competency training for service providers working with Arab clients as well as helping victims of domestic violence, trafficking and sexual assault become survivors and supporting their transition to healthy living conditions. She is excited to be part of an environment where social services are provided within the context of promoting a vibrant Bay Area Arab community, which gives her the opportunity to collaborate with the wonderful ACCC staff. She is hopeful the spaces the ACCC is carving up for Arab women's rights in the Bay Area will build a stronger community and proliferate.

A political science graduate, Sanaa has always been part of social justice struggles, with a strong passion for women of color and immigrant rights. Sanaa also works for the Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq as the California representative where she contributes to fundraising as well as raising awareness of women's plight in Iraq.

Prior to joining the ACCC and OWFI, Sanaa was the Social Media Coordinator for the feminist anti-war group CODEPINK where she was part of a strong network of advocates calling for the end of US occupations abroad and human rights for all.

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it joined the ACCC as a case manager and advocate in January of 2012, however Faten has been a dedicated member and volunteer at the ACCC for several years and is passionate about serving marginalized communities and survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. At the ACCC Faten works with mono-lingual clients helping them with services ranging from case management and health interpretations to housing and job searches. In addition to her work at the ACCC, she also worked as a community liaison, interpreter and health advocate for the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies at UC Hastings, St. Anthony's Medical Clinic and the UCSF Spiritual Care Program. Faten is a certified medical interpreter and is currently enrolled in San Francisco Community College to obtain her community health worker certification and is working towards her Associate Applied Science and Health Education Degree.

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it began as Membership and Outreach Coordinator at the ACCC in July 2011, and is now the Special Projects Coordinator, responsible for Membership, Civic Engagement Programming, and the Annual Arab Women's Conference. She is a graduate of Mills College in Oakland, where she majored in Ethnic Studies and was awarded the Ethnic Studies Outstanding Scholarship Award for her senior thesis on Queer identity in the US Muslim community. In her capacity as a student organizer at Mills, Weyam organized events to raise awareness about issues relating to the misrepresentation of the Arab world and Arabs in the US. Weyam minored in Book Art and enjoys making artistic books which feature themes from contemporary Arab politics and take inspiration from traditional Arab crafts, particularly Palestinian cross stitch.

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it joined the Arab Cultural and Community Center in 2003 as a tutor for the After-school Academic Enrichment Program. He has been actively involved in all aspects of the Youth Program including contacting parents, schools, and ensuring that the children receive the academic support they need. Ibrahim received his Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and Engineering and was a teacher in Jordan and Saudi Arabia, teaching Science, Math and History. Ibrahim is an active volunteer at the local mosque and a trusted community member who has built relationships with the parents and families of children who participate in our programming.

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it is the ACCC's bookkeeper. Aziza holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Garyounis University in Libya. She moved to the U.S in 2003 to pursue her education in business finance. In December of 2008, she took an internship position with AmeriCorps and the following year, worked with domestic violence victims during volunteers hours. She received her certification for Domestic Violence Counseling in 2009. After completing the internship with AmeriCorps, she accepted a position as a bookkeeper/DV advocate with ACCC. In 2010 she became a certified health care interpreter. Presently, She enrolled at San Francisco State University and will graduate with a bachelor degree in corporate finance.

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it is the Arabic Language Program Teacher and Coordinator. Before becoming ACCC staff, Suhair volunteered helping other Arabic language teachers. She became the ACCC's Arabic Language Teacher in 2002, and developed the curriculum for the ACCC Saturday Arabic School, where she teaches Arabic to students at different levels. Suhair graduated from the University of Jordan with an Honors B.A degree in Nursing and Sociology. She taught Arabic to non-Arabic speakers at New English School in Amman for six years.  She also worked with children with special needs. Benefiting from the several art workshops and teaching methods that she has participated in, Suhair mixes Arabic arts, music and culture with language in her curriculum. She believes that students communicate better and learn more quickly when using means other than a book to learn. Suhair looks forward to spending three hours on Saturday in Arabic Class with your kids.

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it is the ACCC's Youth Program Tutor. Hannah Jewell is a recent graduate from the Middle Eastern Studies program at UC Berkeley. She has studied and worked in Lebanon and other Arab countries. She now works as a tutor in the ACCC's Youth Program, and hopes that working with children will improve her Arabic.