Overwhelming enthusiasm was generated surrounding a dynamic discussion about women coming together to address issues of concern that ensued during AWARE’s Luncheon/Panel event that took place on September 20, 2005 at the University of Michigan-Dearborn Fairlane Center. The event, themed “Sharing Challenges and Exploring Solutions,” is the second that AWARE (Arab American Women Advocating for Resources and Empowerment) has held since its unveiling, and was arranged in line with AWARE’s commitment to continue to provide opportunity’s for women to come together to discuss matters of interest and to utilize each other’s resources and experiences to work on addressing these matters.

The panelists included three accomplished women from diverse backgrounds: Mrs. Najah Bazzy, Director of Transcultural Services and Human Diversity for Home Health Care Partners, Ms. Fatina Salaheddine, CEO of Al-Sahafa Newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio and Ms. Dalal Delany, a Women’s Studies student and women’s activist from the Kingdom of Bahrain. The forum provided attendees with an opportunity to network, exchange ideas, share experiences and begin developing a mechanism to collectively address issues that affect all women, and to create a network that spans both the Middle East and the US.