Mezza in Minneapolis Tonight

Donations will be Collected to Aid Victims of Hurricane Gustav in Honor of
Charles Boustany

MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In spite of a truncated
Republican National Convention due to Hurricane Gustav, organizations here in
Minneapolis are going ahead with the tributes and events planned for this
week. The Arab American Institute will hold its "Mezza in Minneapolis" as
planned, on Tuesday, 2 September at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The
event is an evening of Arabian cuisine and culture, with dinner, music and a
display of cultural objects from the Arab American National Museum in
Dearborn, Michigan. The event is free and open to the public. For complete
details and to RSVP, please visit: http://www.aaiusa.org/foundation/3606.

Congressman Charles Boustany, who represents the 7th District in southwest
Louisiana, is an American of Lebanese descent. Congressman Boustany serves as
co-chair on the "Mezza in Minneapolis" Honorary Committee; in the spirit of
his great work for his district and his country, the Arab American Institute
will collect monetary donations for relief efforts in the Gulf states. In
addition, proceeds from the sale of AAI Yalla Vote tee-shirts will be donated
to the relief fund.

Details
Mezza in Minneapolis
Minneapolis Convention Center
Second Floor
1301 South Second Avenue, Minneapolis, Minn.
Event: 9 pm - 1 am

About the Arab American Institute: The Arab American Institute (AAI)
represents the policy and community interests of Arab Americans throughout the
United States and strives to promote Arab American participation in the U.S.
electoral system. AAI focuses on two areas: campaigns and elections and policy
formation and research. The Institute strives to serve as a central resource
to government officials, the media, political leaders and community groups and
a variety of public policy issues that concern Arab Americans and U.S. - Arab
relations.

About Yalla Vote: Yalla Vote, an initiative of the Arab American Institute,
strives to empower and engage Arab Americans in the political process at all
levels, grass roots to grass top. This year, the Yalla Vote campaign, "Our
Voice. Our Future. Yalla Vote '08", is organizing Arab Americans across the
country to vote for the candidates they feel will work to resolve the issues
of concern to our community, as outlined by the National Declaration.
Throughout this campaign cycle, Yalla Vote '08 initiatives will train Arab
Americans to get out the vote, mobilize Arab Americans to vote, and provide
forums for Arab Americans to speak to candidates about the issues that concern
us most. For more details, please visit http://www.yallavote.org.

SOURCE Arab American Institute

Christina Zola of the Arab American Institute, +1-202-494-9859,
czola@aaiusa.org