We are thrilled that Dr. Abdulhadi received this major award by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) . The 2020 Georgina M. Smith Award is presented “to a person who has provided exceptional leadership in the past year in improving the status of academic women or in advancing collective bargaining and through that work has improved the profession in general”.
Our nomination letter highlights her work as a scholar-activist who has built a robust international research project Teaching Palestine, continues to advance critical learning at SF State with the Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas (AMED) studies program she directs, and inspires an advocacy campaign against the increased influence of Zionism over academic institutions and policies in the US.
From the AAUP website, Dr. Abdulhadi “…exemplifies courage, persistence, political foresight, and concern for human rights, including union organizing, gender and sexual justice, in her scholarship, teaching, public advocacy, and collaboration with a diverse group of academic, labor, and community organizations. Her commitment to global scholarship that builds mutual understanding is evident in the collaborations she has initiated. As a director of the Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Studies Program she brings together scholars, activists, academics, and organizers to create justice-centered knowledge, build broad-based coalitions, and advance the agenda for social change in Palestine, the United States, and internationally. Her leadership transcends the division between scholarship and activism that encumbers traditional university life.”