CAIR Oklahoma's 3rd Annual Ramadan Iftar with Our Elected Leaders
Register Now!On Friday, June 9th, 2017, CAIR Oklahoma will continue its focus on bringing Muslim community members together with their elected officials to discuss important issues by hosting our 3rd Annual Iftar with our elected leaders.
CAIR Oklahoma has turned its focus in the past three years to increasing opportunities for Oklahoma's Muslim community to better understand their local government, engage with elected officials, and ensure their collective and individual voices are heard in hopes of challenging the extreme hate rhetoric we often hear around us.
Tickets to attend CAIR-OK's 2017 Ramadan Iftar are $50 for General Admission and $25 for Student Admission. Tickets must be pre-purchased online by clicking the link above.
Keynote Speaker: Paula Lewis
Paula Lewis currently represents District 4 on the Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) Board of Education. Prior to joining the school board in 2016, Paula founded the Oklahoma Therapy Institute (OTI) in 2004 where she continues to work as an Occupational Therapist. Her work in OTI includes outpatient management of acute and chroic pain as well as education and training in work and industry. Paula graduated from Lawton Eisenhower High School and went on to earn a BS in Biology and Minor in Exercise Science from Southwest Missouri State University, a BS in Occupational Therapy from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and an MBA from the University of Phoenix.
Featured Speakers:
Rep. Forrest Bennett is currently the State Representative in House District 92. He's an educator, and an Oklahoman that's deeply devoted to bettering the state. Forrest began his professional career working with the legislature and knows firsthand the difference one person can make at the Capitol. After working to increase parent involvement and advocating for Oklahoma City Public Schools, Forrest chose to dedicate his time to the classroom, teaching American Government at the University of Oklahoma. As an Oklahoma state representative, Forrest works to improve public education, strengthen neighborhoods, create jobs, and honor the senior citizens of Oklahoma.
Rev. Doctor George E. Young, Sr. was born in Memphis, Tenn. He retired from 30 years of Pastoral service in 2013. Dr. Young was elected to the Oklahoma State House of Representative in 2015. He is a Certified Mediation Specialist in Family and Divorce issues. He received his undergraduate degree from Lambuth University in Jackson, Tennessee. He continued his education receiving a Masters of Arts in Ministry from Oklahoma Christian University, graduating Magna Cum Laude, a Master of Divinity Degree from Phillips Theological Seminary, Tulsa, Oklahoma, graduating Cum Laude, and a Master of Business Administration from Oklahoma Christian University in December of 2006 and completed his Doctorate of Ministry from Phillips Theological Seminary in 2010.
Rep. Monroe Nichols is a democratic member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, representing District 72. Nichols holds a Bachelors of Arts in Political Science/Economics from the University of Tulsa and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma. While working at the Mayor's office he helped create summer employment opportunities to young people and re-entry programs to help ex-offenders successfully integrate back into society. He also led the community conversation on the importance of education. He also met with national activist Marian Wright Edelman to discuss her groundbreaking work on breaking the cradle to prison pipeline. He also helped lead efforts on healthcare outcomes with as Gerry Clancy’s chief of staff at OU-Tulsa.
Special Guests:
Rep. Cyndi Munson developed her passion for public service at an early age. Cyndi followed her passion for community involvement by serving in student government at the University of Central Oklahoma. A first generation college student, Cyndi graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, and the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, where she earned a Master of Science in Leadership Education. She used a semester of her undergraduate career to study non-profit and voluntary services at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. While at the University of Central Oklahoma, Cyndi was awarded the Presidential Gold Medal for Leadership and Public Service.Elected in September of 2015, Cyndi became the first Asian-American woman elected to the Oklahoma Legislature.
Rep. Scott Inman was first elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in November 2006. He attended the University of Oklahoma where he graduated in 2001 Summa Cum Laude and received a B.A. in political science with a minor in Spanish. He went on to attend the University of Oklahoma, School of Law, receiving his juris doctor in 2004. Upon graduating from law school, Representative Inman practiced law with a firm in downtown Oklahoma City. State House District 94 became vacant in the spring of 2006 and Scott decided to put his law practice on hold and run for office. Upon his election, Representative Inman became the first graduate of Del City High School to ever serve the city of Del City at the State Capitol.
Former Rep. Mike Shelton was a ten year incumbent legislator that served as the assistant minority floor leader of the House Democratic Caucus. As a father of two school-aged children, Representative Shelton is personally vested in improving educational outcomes for all students in Oklahoma. When it comes to our teachers, Mike believes we must pay our teachers better to help reduce the teacher shortage. In addition, Representative Shelton wants to continue working to address adequately funding Oklahoma public schools and will work to ensure tax dollars are reaching and helping students.
Rep. Jason Lowe is a criminal defense attorney practicing law in Oklahoma City, Lawton and Tulsa. Jason Lowe is the founder of the Lowe Law Firm. By its sixth year in existence, the Lowe Law Firm has already handled thousands of criminal cases. Most recently, Attorney Jason Lowe has successfully secured three consecutive not guilty verdicts for wrongly accused defendants. His success in such trials has allowed him to become a resource for local news stations concerning officer-involved shootings and various legal issues including KFOR Channel 4, KOCO Channel 5 and Oklahoma City FOX 25.In recognition of his dedication to the community, he recently received the prestigious John Green Community Service Award, presented by the Oklahoma City Association of Black Lawyers. .
Rep. Mickey Dollens represents House District 93 in Oklahoma. Rep. Dollens is a 5th generation Oklahoman who is a certified teacher and small business owner. He earned a football scholarship to Southern Methodist University and worked in the Oklahoma oil fields before buying a home near U.S. Grant High School to be closer to work and to start a family. After experiencing the challenges facing our community and listening to his neighbors, Mickey created a plan to improve schools, strengthen neighborhood safety, and protect senior citizens. Mickey Dollens is a certified public school teacher and taught at U.S. Grant High School in South OKC. He was one of the 208 OKCPS teachers laid off in 2016 due to the disastrous budget cuts set forth by our state's legislature. .
Rep. Jason Dunnington was raised in Oklahoma City but transferred to and graduated from rural Cashion High School. He received an academic scholarship to Southern Nazarene University where he received a bachelor’s degree in psychology and later earned his master’s degree in theology from Nazarene Theological Seminary. After pastoring at a local church in Oklahoma City, Dunnington went on to receive his PhD at the University of Oklahoma in Sociology. In addition to teaching, he worked in the oil and gas industry for 6 years until joining the faculty at Oklahoma City University. Dunnington is currently a Sociology professor at Oklahoma City University where he enjoys challenging his students to examine and analyze the complex and diverse world we live in
Councilman Dr. Ed Shadid was elected to his first term as Ward 2 City Councilman on April 5, 2011. He started his second term in April 2015. Councilman Shadid has been practicing medicine at his clinic, Spine Care of Oklahoma, since 2002. As a physician and father of three, Councilman Shadid is committed to improving the quality of life for the people of Oklahoma City. Councilman Shadid serves on the Oklahoma City Environmental Assistance Trust, Oklahoma City Municipal Facilities Authority, Oklahoma City Public Property Authority and Oklahoma City Finance Committee, and he is chairman of the Neighborhood Conservation Committee. He formerly served as a trustee to the EMSA Trust.
Connie Johnson is an American politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. She graduated from Frederick A. Douglass High School in Oklahoma City and earned a bachelor's degree in French from the University of Pennsylvania where she also completed coursework for a Masters of Science in Education.She served in the Oklahoma Senate, representing District 48, which encompasses portions of northeastern and northwestern Oklahoma County until 2014. She was first elected to the state senate in a special election in September 2005. Johnson became the first black woman nominated for a major statewide office in Oklahoma and the first woman US Senate nominee from Oklahoma of any party when she won the Democratic primary run-off of the United States Senate special election in Oklahoma.