By JOEL DONOFRIO Yakima Herald-Republic
(YAKIMA HERALD) Salam Awad was born and raised in Yakima. Her parents live here, and she continues to live here, working remotely as she begins her new job as an assistant professor of political science at Bellevue College near Seattle.
An adjunct professor of political science at Central Washington University for the past three years, Awad’s areas of expertise and teaching interests include international law, human rights and social movements, with a focus on the Middle East.
She and her family’s Palestinian heritage became a much bigger issue 20 years ago, as the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, caused many Muslim Americans to face hostility and suspicion.