Jim Zogby turns 80 this week.

Jim has never really welcomed celebrations of things as momentous as his birthday—he is far too practical for that. But this year marks both Jim’s 80th birthday and AAI’s 40th anniversary and while he will not like us focusing on him, his extraordinary work, and leadership, it is only right to share in this moment with you—the community he helped organize and continues to fight for.

Jim with students after his talk at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania last year. 

Aside from his doctorates, numerous books, presidential appointments, and 33 years of writing his weekly column, “Washington Watch,” Jim’s life work has been to fight for Arab Americans to be able to engage in American civic life as our full Arab American selves, and to fight for justice and Palestinian human rights.

At every instance, he has done it fiercely. He speaks truth to power. I have been in meetings where I observed Jim literally telling Presidents and Kings, in that polite yet ever-morally-clear Jim voice, “you are mistaken about that and here is why.”  It is who he is and in the face of power, bigotry, violence, and even threats to his personal safety—he has never cowered.

Jim protesting in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. in 1989.

He has devoted his life’s work to the Arab American community. In a less than 10-year span, starting when he was just 32, Jim co-founded the Palestine Human Rights Campaign (1977) “because no then-existing human rights group would adopt Palestinian [human rights] cases;” the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (1980) to combat “anti-Arabism” in the press, in popular media, and on the streets; Save Lebanon (1982), a non-sectarian humanitarian relief organization to fund social welfare projects in Lebanon and provide health care for Palestinian and Lebanese victims of war; and our Arab American Institute (1985) to protect Arab American participation in civic life.

Jim has created not just organizations but opportunity. His activism has made possible the tremendous growth in Arab American representation at the polls, in local, state, and federal offices, and at the negotiating table. His mentorship has helped hundreds of young Arab Americans make their marks in business, government, journalism, and more.

We have all benefitted from Jim’s leadership and wisdom, his experience, and his vision.
So, I ask that you help us celebrate his 80th birthday by doing TWO things:

1. Contribute to the organization he built for the community he loves. By contributing $40 or $80 or $400 or $800—whatever you can—to support AAI, you will recognize and help continue the work.

2. Respond to this email with a birthday message and thank you to Jim—we will make sure he sees it.

I want to share your good wishes with Jim and tell him we raised some money for next year’s internship program, our upcoming reports on academic freedom or hate crimes, our ongoing work on data equity, or our continued fight for an inclusive democracy, or everything else our amazing team will do.

Can we count on your support?

In solidarity,

Maya