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Arab Democratic Club forum hosts candidates for public office at brunch May 15

Watch the video below of the event and speeches from candidates and officials (The original Facebook Live Video was CENSORED by Facebook as a part of Facebook’s anti-Arab and anti-Muslim policies)

The Arab American Democratic Club (AADC) Hosted its pre-election Candidates Forum & Brunch today at Nikos Banquets, 7600 S. Harlem Avenue.

More than 100 candidates including in statewide, county and local races and many judges addressed the forum that ran from 10 am until 1:30 PM.

Keynote speakers included Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, who gave a powerful and impressive speech on how she has helped improve Illinois ending the 8 month long backlog on payments to now only 3 days.

Also keynoting was Arab American Institute President Jim Zogby who received the Miriam Zayed Community Service Award.

Former City Hall reporter Ray Hanania, ShawnTe Raines-Welch and Nick Kantas, candidates for Judge in the 4th SubCircuit, and Cook County Commissioner Frank Aguilar.

ShawnTe Raines-Welch and Nick Kantas, both running for the 4th Judicial District, were among the first group of speakers.

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View more photos on Facebook — assuming it won’t be censored.

Here’s a link to watch the Facebook live stream of the event. Click here to view video.

(The video was originally streamed live on Facebook but Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg ordered that it be removed. Facebook has an anti-Arab and anti-Muslim policy to stymie the activism of Arab and Muslim Americans in local politics. Several candidate’s mentioned the need to criticize Israel for its killing of Christian American Palestinian Shereen Abu Akleh which was the grounds for the removal.)

Speakers, Honored Guests and candidate’s who were acknowledged and or spoke included:

Kari Steele for Cook County Assessor

Lyons President Christopher Getty

Pat Hynes, Lyons Township Assessor

Mike Porfirio State Senate Candidate in the new 11th District

ShawnTe Raines-Welch, candidate 4th SubCircuit Judge

Nick Kantas, candidate 4th SubCircuit Judge

Abdelnasser Rashid, candidate for State Representative

Rena Marie Tyne, Judge

Congressman Sean Casten 6th District

Congresswoman Marie Newman 6th District

State Rep. Fran Hurley 35th District

State Rep. Bill Cunningham 28th District

Dan Calandriello 17th Cook County Commissioner District

Congresswoman Robin Kelly, 2nd District

Secretary of State Candidate Alexi Giannoulias, addresses the Arab American Democratic Club Candidates Forum & Brunch Sunday May 15, 2022. MOre than 100 candidates and judges and elected officials spoke — Secretary of State Candidate Alexi Giannoulias, addresses the Arab American Democratic Club Candidates Forum & Brunch Sunday May 15, 2022. More than 100 candidates and judges and elected officials spoke

Jim Gleffe, Judge

Vernard Alsberry 5th District CC Judge

Elizabeth Ryan, Judge

Markham Mayor Roger Agpawa

Karin Norington-Reaves, Congress

Tracie Porter, Judge

John Ehrlich, Judge

Cook County Commissioner Frank J. Aguilar

Delia Ramirez, State Rep. 3rd District

Jane Nolan Palos Township

Tasneem Abuzir, Palos Township Trustee

Alexi Giannoulias, Secretary of State candidate

David Moore, Secretary of State candidate

Fritz Kaegi, Cook County Assessor

Bob Maloney, Palos Township Assessor

Palos Hills Mayor Gerald Bennett

Patricia Flynn, MWRD

Mariyana Spyropoulos, MWRD

Patrick Watson Dem State Central Committee

Carmen Quinones, Judge

Yolanda Harris Sayre, Judge

Frank Avila, MWRD

George Cardenas, Board of Review

Lamont Williams State Rep. 16th District

Patricia Joan Murphy Worth Township Committeewoman

Judge Ruth Gudino

Mary McMahon, Judge

Thomas More Donnelly, Judge

Sharon Waller, MWRD

Russ Hartigan, Judge

Charisse Williams, Congress

Daniel Pogorzelski, MWRD Judie

Lyn Smith, Judge

Andre Smith, Cook CountyCommissioner 2nd District

Patrick Watson State Central Committee 6th District

Aileen Bhandari, Judge 11 SubCircuit

Michael Weaver, Judge

Deidre Baumann, Judge

Judge Rouhy Shalabi

Judge Bill Haddad

Hassan Nijem, President of the American Arab Chamber of Commerce,

Jeffery Leving DadsRights.com

The program also include Roxane Assaf who sang the National Anthem to open the program, and board members Samir Khalil, Sonia Khalil, Rima Sweiss, Bilal Muaref, Saad Malley and Wissam Shehada helped organize the entire event.

The event emcee was former Chicago City Hall reporter and Urban Strategies Group President/CEO Ray Hanania

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Ray Hanania

Ray Hanania is an award-winning columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.

Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.

Email Ray Hanania at rghanania@gmail.com.

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