MPAC Congratulates Two Allies in Government Agencies

Dear John,

MPAC congratulates the recent federal government appointments of two staunch allies for the American Muslim community: Xavier Becerra and Vanita Gupta.

While serving as California Attorney General for the duration of the Trump administration, Xavier Becerra became a leading force in opposition to the most injurious anti-immigrant policies, including the Muslim Ban. Mr. Becerra has also been a principled supporter of American Muslims throughout his distinguished career. On the evening of September 11, following the tragic attacks from earlier that day, he called the MPAC office and volunteered his efforts in the event that we needed support. In 2015, we honored Mr. Becerra with our Empowering Voices award for his partnership to combat Islamophobia and anti-Muslim bigotry. If confirmed, he will head the Department of Health and Human Services.

The Biden administration has tapped Vanita Gupta to serve as the Associate Attorney General, under Attorney General-Designate Merrick Garland. Appointed by President Obama, Vanita Gupta previously held a distinguished post at the helm of the Civil Rights Division in the Department of Justice. She is now President and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, where she continues to serve as an ally to MPAC and the broader American Muslim community through the LCCHR’s work to reform hate crimes legislation and defend civil rights and civil liberties. In 2018, we honored Vanita Gupta with our Empowering Voices award and invited her to speak at our annual gala, where she touched on our history of working in partnership to promote equality and justice for all.

Both Becerra and Gupta have sterling careers in civil service and we congratulate them on their new positions. We look forward to working with all of our partners in the Biden administration on our shared goal of developing a robust, inclusive American pluralism that defends the rights of all.

In service,

Salam Al-Marayati
President, MPAC

Founded in 1988, the Muslim Public Affairs Council improves public understanding and policies that impact American Muslims by engaging our government, media, and communities.

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