Warren David

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Warren Will David (born June 29, 1952) a third-generation Arab American of Lebanese and Syrian heritage, a community leader and public relations advocate in the Detroit Arab American community for more than 25 years. A dedicated curator of Arab culture, Mr. David has invested his time and personal resources to document and tell the story of the Arab American experience.

Biography

David was born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, to Mary (Matook) and Wilfred David and grew up in the Blackstone Valley’s “Syrian” community, where his maternal grandparents were among the founders of St. Mary’s Syrian Antiochian Orthodox Church. David’s paternal grandfather, Daoud (David) Salloum immigrated from Lebanon to Ellis Island, New York, and “lost” his last name, hence his first name, David, became his last name. David’s father, who was a sports aficionado, named him after Boston Braves left-handed pitcher Warren Spahn. At the age of fifteen, David's paternal grandmother presented him with a “derbecki” (Arab drum) from Lebanon, which he learned to play and which sparked his interest in Arab music. Inspired by his uncle, who was a Mason, David joined the Order of DeMolay and at the age of eighteen became a Master Councilor of the Pawtucket Chapter. He was honored in 2004 with the DeMolay Legion of Honor (LOH). After graduating with a communications degree from Grahm Junior College in Boston, he transferred to Ohio University’s School of Communications in Athens, Ohio where he studied Radio and Television. He met Amal Khalil, a Palestinian foreign student from Nazareth who was completing her Ph.D. at Ohio State University, and they married in 1977.

Arab American Advocate

David and his wife moved to Detroit, Michigan where he founded the Arab American Media Society. He was the creator and executive producer of “Arabesque: Insights into Arab Culture,” a national Arab American radio series, which aired on WDET-FM and was distributed via satellite to more than 50 National Public Radio affiliates. The series won a “Gold Medal” from the International Radio Festival of New York in 1986, the first such award ever presented for an Arab American radio program. Always mindful of the value of giving back to one's community, David enthusiastically and tirelessly has participated as an advocate with such organizations as the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS), Arab American National Museum, Karoun Reunion Committee, United American Lebanese Federation (UALF), American Syrian Arab Cultural Association (ASACA), Palestine Office-Michigan and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), from which he received the Alex Odeh Memorial Award for activism at ADC's 2001 national convention in Washington, D.C. In 2002 he developed the “Images and Perceptions of Arab Americans” diversity workshop, which has enlightened more than 500 business leaders, educators, government and municipal employees and media personnel about the identity and culture of Arab Americans. David has also traveled to the Arab world where he has been a frequent speaker about Arab Americans.

Current Activities

Warren David is the founder of Arab Detroit, which is a resource website (http://www.arabdetroit.com) dedicated to disseminating an accurate image of the Arab American community and the Arab world to Americans. He is also president and CEO of David Communications, a multi-cultural communications and public relations firm, which specializes in the Arab American and Islamic markets. He and his wife Amal have two daughters, Zayna and Ameera.

External links

* [http://www.davidcomgroup.com David Communications]
* [http://www.arabdetroit.com Arab Detroit]