NAAP DC: Network of Arab American Professionals

Join us as we explore a new exhibit at the Sackler Art Gallery (📍1050 Independence Ave, SW, Washington DC) focused on Ancient Yemen followed by a social hour at Falafel Inc. at the Wharf (📍1140 Maine Ave, SW, Washington DC). Be sure to register for the event in the link in the bio!

"Nestled in the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen became a major hub for the trade of incense during the first millennium BCE. This trade reached its climax between the first century BCE and the second century CE. Incense was traded by land and also by sea, reaching the Mediterranean world as well as ancient Iran and South Asia. This lucrative trade resulted in tremendous wealth and encouraged the patronage of elaborate architecture and distinctive works of art. The fine alabaster statues and metalworks display the masterful skills of artists from ancient Yemen, who blended local ideas and Greek and Roman inspirations into new creations, underscoring the region’s remarkable artistic and cultural cosmopolitanism."

Are you motivated to make an impact on the Arab American professional community in DC? Do you have an interest in communications, finance, or organizing service opportunities, cultural events, happy hours, and fundraising efforts? If so, apply to join NAAP-DC's Board! We're seeking new board members to join our team as communications/outreach or events chairs. If you're interested, be sure to complete and submit your application by September 24, 2022. See the link in bio for the application form.

Hello fam! We are planning a hike at Great Falls! Get your hiking shoes ready and see you on the 20th of August 🧗🏻🏞⛰🧗🏻‍♀️DM to RSVP or clinic the link in bio. See you soon!

Happy Friday! Join us for book club next month as we read “Girl Decoded: A Scientist’s Quest to Reclaim Our Humanity by Bringing Emotional Intelligence to Technology.”

When: August 6, 2022, 11:00 AM
Where: Say Cheese café, 1132 29th St NW

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Rana el Kaliouby is a rarity in both the tech world and her native Middle East: a Muslim woman in charge in a field that is still overwhelmingly white and male. Growing up in Egypt and Kuwait, el Kaliouby was raised by a strict father who valued tradition—yet also had high expectations for his daughters—and a mother who was one of the first female computer programmers in the Middle East. Even before el Kaliouby broke ground as a scientist, she broke the rules of what it meant to be an obedient daughter and, later, an obedient wife to pursue her own daring dream.

After earning her PhD at Cambridge, el Kaliouby, now the divorced mother of two, moved to America to pursue her mission to humanize technology before it dehumanizes us. The majority of our communication is conveyed through nonverbal cues: facial expressions, tone of voice, body language. But that communication is lost when we interact with others through our smartphones and devices. The result is an emotion-blind digital universe that impairs the very intelligence and capabilities—including empathy—that distinguish human beings from our machines.

To combat our fundamental loss of emotional intelligence online, she cofounded Affectiva, the pioneer in the new field of Emotion AI, allowing our technology to understand humans the way we understand one another. Girl Decoded chronicles el Kaliouby’s journey from being a “nice Egyptian girl” to becoming a woman, carving her own path as she revolutionizes technology. But decoding herself—learning to express and act on her own emotions—would prove to be the biggest challenge of all.

For Arab-American month we celebrate DC’s very own Sudanese-American MC Oddisee (aka Amir Mohamed Elkhalifa).

Often hailed as one of the best lyricists and producers in the current day hip hop climate. Oddisee was raised and born in the Washington DC area but spent his childhood summers in the Sudan capital of Khartoum.This diverse background helped craft his sound.

His album “Al-Wasta” (an Arabic word meaning both the intermediary between people, (alluding to his hyphenated American background) and also meaning to also be influential. These influences sum up Oddisee’s dynamic touching themes of politics, life’s contradictions, and general day to day insecurities.

Oddisees most recent album titled “Odd Cure” explores themes of isolation during COVID-19. He has been featuredon tiny desk and

In celebration of the Holy month of Ramadan, we have teamed up and for an Iftar meal! This will be a fundraising opportunity for the Syrian Emergency Task Force. We are inspired and moved by the their work. Everyone is welcome to join such a unique event! Date: April 16th, 2022

The location will be at 7902 Tysons One Pl, Tysons, VA 22102

Time: 7:30 pm-10:30pm

We are very excited to be a part this event! Please RSVP

Donate at: https://www.syriantaskforce.org/

Hello!! As we plan out 2022 for NAAP DC, we wanted to hear back from our followers about what they are looking for with NAAP this year. Please find attached a short, anonymous survey with a couple questions about what you are looking forward to this year from NAAP. This should take just a minute, and would help us a lot! Looking forward to your feedback!

NAAP DC 2022 Survey Happy 2022! We hope you have all been enjoying the New Year's. We are excited to host more exciting events, and bring our community together again. As we head into 2022 and start planning out what this year will look like for NAAP DC, we wanted to ask you a few questions about what you are most look...