The Middle East Institute’s Arts and Culture Center and George Mason University’s Institute for Immigration Research are pleased to present Stories of Belonging: Immigration, Art, and Community, a keynote panel featured in the Leaving and Belonging symposium, hosted by George Mason University (April 17–18).

The program will feature live performances by acclaimed artists Omar Offendum and Yasmin Elhady, whose work spans spoken word, music, and comedy. They will be joined in conversation by Cara Mertes, a multiple award-winning independent media leader and Founding Executive Director of the International Resource for Impact & Storytelling (IRIS), and Monna Kashfi, an Emmy Award–winning VP of Content and Communications at Welcome.US, a national nonprofit that mobilizes Americans to support and welcome refugees and newcomers. The conversation will be moderated by Lyne Sneige, MEI’s Arts and Culture Center Senior Director.

Through storytelling, performance, and dialogue, the panel will explore how creative expression can reframe migration narratives, foster a sense of belonging, and challenge dominant portrayals of displacement. It will also highlight how collaboration across the arts, research, advocacy, and media can transform creative practice into meaningful social impact.

This panel is MEI’s featured program in celebration of National Arab American Heritage Month.

George Mason University

4400 University Drive, Fairfax, Virginia 22030

Lecture Hall Building (Building 34)

Lecture Hall 1

PARKING: Visitor parking is available on campus in the Rappahannock (closest to symposium) or Mason Pond parking decks (findable on GPS).

In Partnership with

With support from the AbuSulayman Center for Global Islamic Studies at George Mason University.