Virtual Journalist Visit Opportunities for Arab American Heritage Month 2023

In celebration of Arab American Heritage Month, we are featuring several journalists who have reported on relevant topics and would love to visit your classroom! Take a look at our featured guest speakers below, and click here to connect your class with a journalist. This opportunity is open to classroom and out-of-school time educators, as well as educators working with students in carceral facilities.

Journalist Guest Speakers for Arab American Heritage Month

Journalists can share stories about Arab Americans and global issues within the Arab world and the diaspora or discuss how their own identities inform their work.

• Amel Brahmi, a researcher, teaching assistant, and journalist who reported on the rise of women imams in the United States.
• Laila Shadid, a journalist and creative writer who is passionate about promoting an understanding of the Middle East, especially Palestinian human rights.
• Mahmoud Hassino and Bairbre Flood, journalists who produced the I Am Not Your Refugee podcast series, which looks at refugee-led projects, including Syrian activist groups in Athens, a photography project in Zaatari Camp, Jordan, and an LGBTQ+ refugee network in Turkey.
• Meera Santhanam, a journalist who reported on feminist filmmakers in Lebanon.
• Rafa Renas and Phil Cox, filmmakers who co-produced a short film that follows an anonymous protester dressed as Spider-Man as he joins thousands protesting the 2021 military coup in Sudan.
• Safi El-Gamal, a journalist who reported on religion, language, culture, and youth advocacy for modernization in Morocco.
• AJ Naddaff, a multimedia journalist who covered Lebanon's 2022 parliamentary elections. 

NOTE: Due to availability, we cannot always guarantee a specific journalist, but we will work with you to suggest several options based on your goals and meeting times.

About the Virtual Journalist Visit Program

The Pulitzer Center offers free virtual journalist visits to K-12 schools worldwide. We have worked with over a thousand journalists over the years, covering diverse topics and geographic regions, and we will match you with a journalist based on your request. We use many different platforms to connect, including Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams, and we will work with you to identify the best technology for your learners. Virtual journalist visits are a great way to help students:

• Understand how what they're studying affects people's lives
• Learn how research, writing, critical thinking, multimedia, and more skills are used in journalism
• Practice preparing and asking questions of an expert
• Get excited about using the news to learn about the world
• And much more!