Iymen H Chehade is an American professor, activist,
and head of Foreign Policy and Research for the Marie Newman IL 06 congressional campaign. He ran as a Democratic candidate in
'
3rd congressional district, which had no
incumbent
The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position. In an election, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the position that is up for election, regardless of whether they are seeking re-election.
There may or may not be ...
.
Early life and education
Iymen Chehade was born in
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
and grew up in the
Avondale and
Logan Square neighborhoods. He is the son of immigrant parents from
Palestine
Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...
. Chehade holds a Bachelor's degree in History and a Master’s degree in Education from the
University of Illinois Chicago
The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a public research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus established under the Universi ...
.
Academic career
Iymen Chehade is an adjunct professor of history teaching at
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) is a private art school associated with the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to an art students' cooperative founded in 1866, which grew into the museum a ...
(SAIC) and the
Columbia College Chicago
Columbia College Chicago is a Private college, private art college in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1890, it has 6,493 students (as of fall 2021) pursuing degrees in more than 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. It i ...
. His courses focus on contemporary middle eastern history and events, including courses he created on the
Palestine-Israeli crisis and the
war in Syria.
Activism
Iymen Chehade is a political and
human rights
Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...
activist.
Professor Chehade often serves as faculty adviser to the
Students for Justice in Palestine
Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP; ) is a pro-Palestinian college student activism organization in the United States, Canada and New Zealand. Founded at the University of California, Berkeley in 1993, it has campaigned for the Boycott, Div ...
(SJP) chapters at SAIC and Columbia College Chicago.
Academic freedom
Source:
After screening
Five Broken Cameras during his Palestine-Israeli crisis course at Columbia College Chicago a single-student complained about purported "bias" in one of the two sections during fall semester of 2013. Columbia College Chicago removed one of Chehade's scheduled sections for the 2014 spring semester. The
American Association of University Professors
The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) is an organization of professors and other academics in the United States that was founded in 1915 in New York City and is currently headquartered in Washington, D.C. AAUP membership inc ...
in accordance with the Columbia College collective bargaining agreement definition of academic freedom found that Columbia College was guilty of
academic freedom
Academic freedom is the right of a teacher to instruct and the right of a student to learn in an academic setting unhampered by outside interference. It may also include the right of academics to engage in social and political criticism.
Academic ...
violations. The class was reinstated.
After the case, Professor Chehade served as one of five committee members on the American Association of University Professors Committee A on Academic Freedom.
Uprising Theater
Source:
Iymen Chehade is the founder of Uprising Theater, a nonprofit in Chicago, dedicated to working to give voice to the people of Palestine and others who are marginalized. In 2009, Chehade wrote and directed a play about a Palestinian family living under occupation called ''Garden of the Three''.
Uprising Theater functions as a community outreach organization providing artist stipends and income opportunities to artists during the COVID19 pandemic. In addition with producing readings and workshops, Uprising distributed
PPE and holiday meals in Chicago to communities in need, hosting
blood drives
Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells.
Blood is compos ...
, collecting textiles to recycle and more.
Political career
In December 2021, Iymen Chehade announced that he would run in the 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois' 3rd congressional district. The district was an
open seat
The Barcelona Open (currently sponsored by Banc Sabadell) is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players. The event was founded in 1953 as a combined men's and women's tournament until 1980. It is played at the Real Club de Tenis B ...
due to
redistricting
Redistricting in the United States is the process of drawing electoral district boundaries. For the United States House of Representatives, and state legislatures, redistricting occurs after each ten-year census.
The U.S. Constitution in Art ...
after the
2020 U.S. Census, there was no incumbent.
He ran against
Gilbert Villegas, a member of
Chicago City Council 36th Ward, and
Delia Ramirez, the sitting representative for the Illinois House of Representatives 4th district. Chehade lost the race to Villegas on second place and Ramirez on first.
Iymen Chehade identified
Medicare for All
Single-payer healthcare is a type of universal healthcare, in which the costs of essential healthcare for all residents are covered by a single public system (hence "single-payer"). Single-payer systems may contract for healthcare services from pr ...
, Education for All, Immigration reform, and a
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was an American initiative enacted in 1948 to provide foreign aid to Western Europe. The United States transferred $13.3 billion (equivalent to $ in ) in economic recovery pr ...
for the US as his primary issues of concern.
On January 19, 2021 Chehade filed a lawsuit against U.S. Representative
Marie Newman
Marie Newman (née Klassen; born April 13, 1964) is an American politician and marketing consultant who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative from Illinois's 3rd congressional district from 2021 to 2023. The d ...
to enforce a contract the two had signed. The lawsuit was settled. In response to criticism of the arrangement between Chehade and Newman, Chehade expressed his disappointment that critics are "using a labor agreement as a cheap tool for political gain at a time when so many working people in Illinois are facing hardships.”
References
External links
Iymen Chehade for Congress Campaign Website
Uprising Theater Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chehade, Iymen
American activists
American people of Palestinian descent
Candidates in the 2022 United States House of Representatives elections
Columbia College Chicago faculty
University of Illinois Chicago alumni
Illinois Democrats
Living people
1974 births