How are Arab women using media to forge, reshape and transmit our narratives in our homelands and in diaspora? Themed “Quwat Al Mar’aa: Arab Women and the Media”, the 8th Arab Women Conference kicks off next Sunday 29 in San Francisco, USA. As the conference highlights the role of women in media across the globe, six outstanding women set out to inspire others with their powerful words.
1. Dena Takruri: A presenter and producer at Al Jazeera’s all digital video news channel AJ+ and a former host at HuffPost Live in New York, Dena covers an incredibly vast array of issues and powerfully communicates them across multi-media channels. You can follow her on Twitter @dena
2. Rania Khalek: A regular contributor at The Electronic Intifada and a member of its editorial board, Rania is an independent journalist reporting on the underclass. Her work has also appeared at Truthout, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, Al Jazeera America, The Nation, Salon, and AlertNet. You can follow her through her website raniakhalek.com and on twitter at @RaniaKhalek.
3. Maytha Alhassen: A poet and a Ph.D. Fellow in American Studies and Ethnicity, Maytha bridges the worlds of social justice, academic research, media engagement and artistic expression. She performed and organized the play “Hijabi Monologues.” and regularly appears on Al Jazeera’s “The Stream” program. You can read her on her website,mayalhassen.com and follow @mayalhassen.
4. Leena Barakat: is a Palestinian-American social impact professional, Leena has 8 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. After helping Visualizing Impact scale their business model globally, she has been managing independent projects and advising on business development for clients such as the HULT Prize and the Huffington Post. You can follow her on Twitter @leenabarakat.
5. Hana Baba: is a journalist with 20 years’ experience in radio journalism, Baba’s work appears on KALW, NPR programs, PRI’s The World, BBC World Service, and New America Media. A Sudanese-American, Hana enjoys reporting from and about Sudan and Sudanese in the diaspora and is Cultural Secretary of the Sudanese Association of Northern California. You can follow her on Twitter @radiohana
6. Rama Chakaki: Our own Barakabits founder and chief optimist, Rama has extensively worked to nurture a generation of social entrepreneurs in the Arab world through Baraka Ventures. She runs women and youth leadership and entrepreneurship workshops and advises governments and large enterprises on social investments. A board member of TechWadi and PACES Charity, she was featured as one of the 35 “Arab Women Rising”. Follow her on Twitter @rchakaki
For more information: Visit the 8th Arab Women Conference’s website and follow the Twitter hashtag #arabwomensvoices
