Faculty and Staff Palestinian Solidarity

Event Description:

Campuses are clamping down on Palestinian solidarity activism across the country and around the world. The people are rising up with inspiring courage and militancy, but many faculty and staff are left unsure about how to engage as both a part of and critical of these institutions of higher education. Join the NLG and employment attorneys Amanda M. Ghannam and Rima Najjar Kapitan as we navigate the complexities of faculty and staff activism and potential employment law considerations in the climate of rising campus repression.

Speakers:

Amanda M. Ghannam is a Detroit-based trial attorney representing workers in employment disputes, whistleblowers, survivors of sexual abuse, and victims of police misconduct in negotiations and lawsuits in state and federal court. Amanda specializes in advocacy for clients experiencing discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in the workplace. She has secured numerous settlements for clients who were wrongfully terminated and has a record of success defending employees accused of breaching non-competition agreements. Amanda also has years of experience representing victims and survivors of sexual assault, abuse, and harassment. Amanda approaches her cases with a combination of expertise, compassion, and fierce advocacy to help her clients obtain not just compensation, but accountability and closure.

Rima Najjar Kapitan is an employment lawyer based in Chicago. She focuses her practice primarily on representing faculty in employment law matters, including grievances, internal tenure appeals, disciplinary matters, internal policy revisions, and litigation in Illinois and other states. She has published articles about academic freedom and BDS. She is a board member of the Seraj Library Project, which builds libraries and organizes cultural activities in villages in occupied Palestine.