Roots of Change

Muslim Parent Empowerment Conference

Saturday, September 13th | 9:30 AM PST | Brea, CA

Join our first-ever Roots of Change: Muslim Parent Empowerment Conference, as we unveil our Parent Toolkit. This event will feature expert speakers offering guidance on building relationships with schools, supporting children facing discrimination, and engaging with school boards. Designed for parents, caregivers, and advocates, the conference provides tools to help create inclusive, respectful, and equitable school environments for all students. 

Workshops

  • Building Relationships With Your Child's School

    Gain practical tips for building strong relationships with your child’s teacher and school staff early in the year. Learn what to discuss during meetings and how to advocate for your Muslim child in a way that builds trust and collaboration.

  • How to Engage with the School Board

    Speaker: Dr. Sara Deen

    Explore why parent involvement in the school board matters and how your voice can influence school decisions. Hear from a current board member about ways to get involved and steps to take if you want to make a change in your district.

  • Centering Advocacy in Our Shared Experiences

    Speaker: Khalid Hudson

    This session is designed to demonstrate the power of deep listening and its role in building stronger and more connected communities.  

    Parents will participate in a House Meeting, where they will have the opportunity to share personal stories about their own (or their child’s) experiences within the school system. 

    Listen to parents and other key stakeholders (educators, administrators, etc.) to uncover shared concerns and identify potential leaders is the essential first step in any successful organizing strategy.

  • Knowing Your Rights if Your Child Experiences Discrimination

    Speaker: Camilah Hamideh

    Learn about your rights as a parent and how California schools handle bullying and discrimination. Get guidance on how to report incidents and what steps to take if the school doesn’t take action.

Speakers

Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District Board Member

Dr. Sara Deen, DMD

  • Dr. Sara Deen earned her undergraduate degree, with honors, in Molecular and Cell Biology from UC Berkeley. Subsequently, she pursued her dental degree at UC San Francisco, where she was a fellow in the School of Dentistry’s Summer Research Fellowship Program. After completing dental school, she practiced dentistry and was a lecturer at UCLA’s Advanced Education in General Dentistry program. While treating patients and mentoring dental residents in diverse Los Angeles County, Sara became interested in building bridges between communities, eventually serving as the President of the South Coast Interfaith Council in 2020-2021 and as a Youth Facilitator at New Ground Muslim Jewish Partnership for Change. Understanding the challenges faced by youth and grateful for her own public education, Dr. Sara Deen was elected as a governing board member of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District in 2022. She continues to serve with great interest in meeting the diverse learning needs of students and mitigating youth mental health challenges.

Camilah Hamideh

CAIR-LA Civil Rights Staff Attorney

  • Camilah Hamideh is a Civil Rights Staff Attorney at CAIR-LA. Camilah specializes in providing direct legal services to American Muslims facing religious discrimination a variety of contexts, including education, travel, employment, interaction with law enforcement and the FBI, public accommodation, and prisons, as well as advocating for victims of hate crimes and hate incidents. Prior to joining CAIR-LA, Camilah practiced complex commercial litigation at two international law firms. Camilah obtained her Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Berkeley. She later graduated from Cornell Law School, where she obtained her juris doctor degree. 

Khalid Hudson

CAIR-LA Advocacy Manager

  • Khalid Hudson is the Advocacy Manager at CAIR-LA, bringing 25 years of experience in community organizing, including a decade with the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF). He has led campaigns to strengthen public education, prevent state takeovers of school districts, and promote fair representation on school boards. 

    Khalid has also worked in the Wilson County and DeKalb County school systems. A Chicago native, he holds a degree in African American World Studies from the University of Iowa, where he embraced Islam in 2001. 

    He is an active member of the Muslim community, a devoted husband, and the proud father of four children, who has attended both Public and Islamic Schools.