Who We Are

Between Two Worlds: Arab American Teens After 9/11 has been a project of Michigan Radio, the University of Michigan Arts of Citizenship Program, and ACCESS, the Arab Community Center For Economic and Social Services. Rola Neshef, a filmmaker and videographer affiliated with ACCESS, served as Project Coordinator and summer workshop leader. Tamar Charney, News and Features Producer at Michigan Radio, and David Scobey, Director of the Arts of Citizenship Program, organized the project and helped teach the summer workshop.

Michigan Radio (WUOM-FM, WFUM-FM, & WVGR-FM) is the public radio station of the University of Michigan. Between Two Worlds is the third collaboration between Michigan Radio and the Arts of Citizenship Program in an effort to bring non-traditional voices and stories to the airwaves.

To learn more about Michigan Radio, visit michiganradio.org.

The University of Michigan Arts of Citizenship Program seeks to foster the role of the arts, humanities, and design in civic and community life through cultural projects that bring together faculty, students, and public collaborators. Through projects like “Between Two Worlds,” Arts of Citizenship aims both to enrich public culture and to support new forms of teaching, scholarship, and creative work. To learn more about Arts of Citizenship, visit www.artsofcitizenship.umich.edu.

ACCESS, the Arab Community Center For Economic and Social Services, founded in 1972, is committed to the development of the Arab-American community in all aspects of its economic, social and cultural life. Its activities include legal, medical and mental health services, employment training, educational, and artistic and cultural programs. In response to the tragic events of September 11, 2001, ACCESS has expanded and intensified its educational programming to reach more of those whose understanding is critical to the well-being of the Arab-American community. Already subject to negative stereotyping before September 11th, Arab Americans are now encountering more hostility, as evidence points to persons from the Middle East as having been responsible for the attacks on New York and Washington DC. In this context, ACCESS recognized that it has a duty to help Arab Americans express their own dismay at these horrible events, and to help non-Arabs better understand Arab Americans’ heritage and culture. To learn about ACCESS, visit accesscommunity.org.

Thanks

Thanks to former Interim President Joe White and Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Lester Monts of the University of Michigan for funding “Between Two Worlds: Arab-American Teens After 9/11.” Thanks also to Chancellor Dan Little of the University of Michigan-Dearborn for helping to facilitate the project collaboration.

Thanks to Tamar Charney of Michigan Radio for working with Ghufran, Nirmeen, and Mike and editing their audio diaries so skillfully.

Thanks to Rola Neshef for doing such great work finding, teaching, and nurturing Ghufran, Nirmeen, and Mike.

Most importantly, thanks to Ghufran Al-Shameery, Nirmeen Saleh, and Mike Nigel Isa for spending their summer learning how to work digital recorders, talking about September 11 and Arab-American identity, and letting us into their world.

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