ODEH, SAMIR AHMAD (1951-1994)

Born in the Old City of Jerusalem in 1951 to a family that was forced to leave their home in Lifta in 1948; brother of Yacoub Ahmad Odeh; joined the Palestinian movement in 1968; the family home in Sheikh Jarrah was demolished by Israeli occupation forces in 1969; traveled to the USA in 1970 where he planned to purse his studies in Engineering; became active in the Organization of Arab Students in North America in 1974; was one of the initiators for the establishment of the GUPS in the USA; was a founding member of the Arab American Community Center (AACC) in Chicago in 1982 and became its Exec. Director in 1985; established the Chicago chapter of GUPS in 1986; became a member of the Illinois Voters for Middle East Peace in 1988; was a member of the Arab American Commission; worked actively in building bridges between the Arab-American, African-America, Latino and Native American communities in Chicago from 1988 until his death; was a PNC member from 1988-94; became Board member of the Coalition for Peace and Against Racism in 1991; returned to Palestine on 10 Oct. 1994 after spending 24 years in exile; died of a heart attack in Jerusalem on 11 Oct. 1994; in his honor the Chicago City Council named the 63rd St. on the Southwest side of Chicago after him in 1996.

عودة، سمير (1951-1994) ولد في البلدة القديمة، القدس عام 1951؛ تعلم في كلية الفرندز في رام الله وتخرج عام 1969؛ في العام نفسه قامت قوات الاحتلال الإسرائيلية بمداهمة منزل عائلته؛ سافر لإكمال تحصيله العلمي في ولاية كاليفورنيا في الولايات المتحدة؛ كان ناشطا في جمعية الطلبة العرب؛ أحد مؤسسي الاتحاد العام للطلبة العرب في شيكاغو، الولايات المتحدة؛ من مؤسسي مركز اجتماعي عربي في شيكاغو وعضو لجنتها المركزية؛ عضو في المجلس الوطني الفلسطيني؛ عاد إلى فلسطين في 10 تشرين الأول/ أكتوبر 1994 بعد 24 عاما من الغربة؛ توفي إثر سكتة قلبية في اليوم التالي–11 تشرين الأول/أكتوبر 1994.