San Francisco / California / United States
About the ACCC: Our Mission Statement The Arab Cultural and Community Center of San Francisco is a nonprofit organization devoted to promoting Arab art and culture, and enriching the lives of Arab American Community. We achieve this by providing culturally focused social services, and promoting cross-cultural events to all residents of the Bay Area and beyond. Lulu Azzghayer Cultural Program Manager Homa Nader Cultural Program Assistant Aziza Megrissi Bookkeeper Vera Terris Social Services Coordinator Mokhtar Al Khanshali Basma Elkarra After School Tutor The Arab Cultural & Community Center ( ACCC ), founded in 1973, is the largest organization in California dedicated to promoting Arab culture, and a leading resource for services and referrals for Arab and Arab-American communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. The ACCC serves individuals from immigrant communities representing a wide range of cultures, including Egyptian, Palestinian, Yemeni, North African, Iraqi, and Lebanese, and serves more than 6000 people annually. The ACCC employs a staff of 11 full and part-time employees to run its various programs. As a cultural presenter the ACCC is always seeking to be innovative in producing a wide range of events, often in partnership with other organizations, such as La Pena Cultural Center, the San Francisco International Arts Festival, and more. Since its founding, ACCC has brought a steady stream of Arab musicians, performers, filmmakers, and artists to the Bay Area in widely acclaimed public presentations. The organizations annual Arab Cultural Festival is northern Californias largest celebration of Arab heritage, with an annual attendance 0f 2, 500-3, 500. The most recent large scale project was Beyond Walls ; Beyond Wars, a groundbreaking 2007 performance series featuring a series of 14 Bay Area performances by local, national and international Arab artists of all genres. In addition to its cultural programs, the ACCC also provides hundreds of individuals and families in the community with social services such as Arabic language classes, career counseling, after school programs for youth, health and nutrition workshops, free womens ESL classes, cultural competency programs, legal and immigration assistance, and more, working with ACCESS ( Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services ), Asian Womens Shelter, and the Muslim Community Association and other community partners.
