Ralph Nader to visit Arab American National Museum July 22 for Book Signing
Press release: Arab American National Museum
Renowned consumer rights advocate and former presidential candidate celebrates Automobile Hall of Fame induction
For the first time since the opening of the Arab American National Museum (AANM), political activist, author, lecturer and attorney Ralph Nader returns to AANM for a book signing and a meet & greet from 12-2 p.m. this Friday, July 22, 2016. The event is being held in conjunction with Nader’s induction into the Automotive Hall of Fame, also in Dearborn.
Nader, who is part of AANM’s permanent exhibit, will sign copies of his book, The Seventeen Traditions: Lessons from an American Childhood (Harper Paperbacks, 2012) during the event. Tickets are $45 for AANM Members and $50 for the general public. The cost includes one copy of the book. To purchase tickets visit www.bit.ly/AANMRalphNader.
“Ralph Nader has had a tremendous impact on American society at large from so many different contributions that are highlighted in the Museum’s Making An Impact permanent exhibit,” says Devon Akmon, AANM director. “Surprisingly, many people don’t realize Ralph is actually an Arab American, so I think having him here is going to open a lot of people’s eyes. Bringing him to the Museum and celebrating his contributions and legacy during this event is incredible. We’re very excited.”
As a well-known consumer advocate for automobile safety, Nader made history in 1965 with his book, Unsafe at Any Speed (Grossman, 1965), which gave birth to the consumer protection movement and led to the eventual creation of the National Highway Traffic Safely Administration (NHTSA). In particular, Nader cited the Chevrolet Corvair as a poorly designed automobile and produced convincing evidence that a driver could lose control of the vehicle even at slow speeds.
Thanks to Nader’s efforts, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act in 1966. This historical event led to the establishment of the NHTSA and its mission of overseeing federal safety standards for automobiles and the authorization to impose recalls for unsafe vehicles. Due to the impact and lasting effects of Nader’s Unsafe at Any Speed, a panel of New York University journalists voted the book as one of the top 100 pieces of journalism of the 20th century. Ironically, Nader hasn’t owned a car since a 1949 Studebaker.
From 1992-2008, Nader was a five-time presidential candidate. For more than four decades Nader has worked diligently to ensure the safety and wellness of others while organizing millions of citizens into more than 100 public interest groups to advocate for solutions. His groups were instrumental in enacting the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Nader attended the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University in New Jersey where he graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1955. He would later attend Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Mass., and graduated with distinction in 1958. While studying at Harvard University, Nader developed his passion for automobile safety and published his first article on the subject, American Cars: Designed for Death, in the Harvard Law Record.
As America’s most renowned advocate for the rights of consumers and the general public, Time magazine recognized Nader as one of the 100 Most Influential Americans in the Twentieth Century.
Other books written by Nader include Breaking Through Power (City Lights Publishers, 2016), Return to Sender: Unanswered Letters to the President, 2001-2015 (Seven Stories Press, 2015), Unstoppable: The Emerging Left-Right Alliance to Dismantle the Corporate State (Nation Books, 2014), Told You So: The Big Book of Weekly Columns (Seven Stories Press, 2013) and Getting Steamed to Overcome Corporatism (Common Courage Press, 2011).
To read more about Nader, visit https://nader.org/.