Final Sketch
Approved by SCGB.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
What : Palestinian Cultural Mural Inauguration
Honoring Dr. Edward Said: A Day-Long Celebration
When : Friday, November 2, 2007 (see complete schedule below)
Where : All Events at San Francisco State University,
1600 Holloway Street, San Francisco
The General Union of Palestine Students at San Francisco State University announces the inauguration of the Palestinian Cultural Mural. This artwork, honoring the late Palestinian scholar and intellectual Edward Said (1935-2003), is the first of its kind on any American university campus. The Palestinian Cultural Mural began as a historic idea to celebrate and represent Palestinian culture, identity and thought in an academic setting, and to commemorate the academic and intellectual work of Edward Said, his life, and his unremitting pursuit of social justice. Author of the groundbreaking book Orientalism and many other books, articles, and essays, as well as professor of comparative literature at Columbia University, Said was a literary theorist and activist who illuminated the lives and struggles of Palestinians under occupation and broadened the international discourse about oppression, social justice, and self-representation.
Spearheaded by the Palestinian students of San Francisco State University, mural supporters fought a sustained battle to gain University approval for the mural, and its final completion is an occasion for celebration. The lead artists for the mural, Dr. Fayeq Oweis and Dr.Susan Greene, worked for over two years to create a design featuring over 20 visual elements symbolizing the work and words of Edward Said, the Palestinian struggle for peace and justice, Arab culture, and student activism. To view an image of the mural or learn more about the muralists visit www.sfgups.org.
The General Union of Palestine Students, along with the SFSU Cesar Chavez Student Center Governing Board, and co-sponsors the Middle East Children’s Alliance, The Arab Cultural and Community Center, The Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC), ZAWAYA, The Richard Oaks Multicultural Center at SFSU, the Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Initiative (AMED), Sunbula: Arab Feminists for Change, and the Break the Silence Mural Project will host a full day of events and cultural presentations to mark the inauguration of the historic Palestinian Cultural Mural.
Schedule of Events:
10:30-11:30 am : Community Breakfast
Jack Adams Hall, SFSU
· Music by Georges Lammam
12-2 pm : Palestinian Cultural Mural Inaugural Ceremony
Cesar Chavez Student Center , SFSU
· Addresses by Dr. Sonia Nimr, Professor of History, Birzeit University, Palestine, and Dr. Hatem Bazian, Professor, UC-Berkeley
· Native American Dance by Mission Creek
· Palestinian folk dance by Al-Juthoor
· Arab-American Hip Hop by The Nomads, The Philistines, and Excentrik
· Mural Blessing by Anne Marie Seyers,
2-5 pm : Reception and Lunch
Jack Adams Hall, SFSU
featuring classical and contemporary music by the Georges Lammam Ensemble
7-10 pm : Evening Performance (Social Hour, 6-7 pm, admission $10 students, $20 general)
Knuth Hall, Creative Arts Building
· Poetry and Spoken Word by Deema Shehabi, Fady Joudah, Zaid Shlah, and Elmaz Abinader
· Music by Tony Khalife and Kamal Ghammache-Mansour, Timothy Kelly, and Omar Khorsheed.
· Palestinian folk dance by Al-Juthoor
October 2007
Palestinian Mural Press Release 
The General Union of Palestine Students at San Francisco State University announces the inauguration of the Palestinian Cultural Mural. This artwork, honoring the late Palestinain scholar and intellectual Edward Said (1935-2003) [MORE]