July 15, 2009

Young Muslim American leaders pictured with Rep. Andre Carson

Last week, 15 of the country's talented and driven young Muslim American leaders descended on the nation's capitol for an unprecedented opportunity to engage directly with government officials, members of Congress, and the White House on the issues they care about.

For MPAC staff, the National Muslim American Young Leaders Summit is an annual inspirational highlight -- embodying our mission statement by simultaneously engaging with the policymaking community and developing new leaders.

They had a unique chance to meet with officials from the White House office of public liaison, the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, the Department of Treasury, as well as with Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), and Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN). 

Coming from Ohio, Texas, Pennsylvania, Florida, California, and Virginia, our exceptional delegates also explored how they can share their intense interest in civic and political engagement with their local communities and also explore careers in public affairs and public service. 

In each setting, they addressed such policy issues as healthcare reform, education, freedom of worship in U.S. mosques where FBI informants have been found, forging a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the USA Patriot Act, and opportunities for greater Muslim American participation in addressing our nation's challenges.

Our delegates will take their lessons home with them, where they will organize community events, write op-eds, reach out to public officials in their communities, and will meet in Los Angeles for a follow-up session in December. We'll keep you posted on their progress...

Stay tuned for a personal account from one our delegates, which will be featured in this week's DC News & Views.

Applications are still available for our Southern California Young Leaders Summit, which will take place from Aug. 5-7. Click here to find out more (applications due July 22nd)!

-- Edina Lekovic (edina@mpac.org)
Communications Director