Press Kit: Film Poster and Photos

Terry has recently published a memoir, Keeping The Dream Alive:  My Quest For Peace and Justice, that tells her story of growing up as a Palestinian Catholic under Israel occupation. She was born in Ramallah and lived under Israeli occupation until 1972, when as a teenager, she was sent to Detroit, Michigan to live with her maternal grandparents who immigrated to the US after being forced to leave their home in Yaffa (Palestine) in 1948.  

For more than thirty years Terry held various leadership positions throughout southeast Michigan. She worked more than fifteen years in Wayne County (Michigan) government, where she rose through management to become an assistant county executive. She also worked as the Director of Development at Madonna University and Vice President of Development at the Detroit Medical Center. She has broad experience in comprehensive fund development and has served on more than twenty national and local political campaigns, including the Bill Clinton for President campaign.  

Committed to enhancing human rights and making a difference in her community, Terry has devoted more than 50 years to uplifting Palestinian voices. She served as the executive director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and President of the American Federation of Ramallah-Palestine. Additionally, Terry has extensive volunteer experiences in the United States and abroad. She is a former president of Habitat of Humanity in Detroit, vice president of the YMCA in Livonia, and has offered support to numerous boards. She is authored many Op Eds for local and national publications and hiked Kilimanjaro in 2021 when she was 64 years old. Currently, she volunteers with four nonprofit agencies in the Detroit metropolitan area. 

Terry holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan, as well as certifications in leadership from Notre Dame University, Michigan Political Leadership Program, and the Michigan Leadership Program. 

Tammy’s potential for conquering Kilimanjaro was forged early in life through tragedy.  At the tender age of 6, Tammy witnessed the murder of her beloved mother by a stalker. After losing her mother and receiving no mental health support, Tammy was left to find ways to cope with her trauma.  

Further exacerbating her childhood distress, Tammy and her two sisters were bounced from one family member to the next. Eventually they were sent to live with their father and stepmother. At the age 16, Tammy and her siblings were uprooted again. This time, the family moved across country from Youngstown, Ohio to San Diego, California. 

Through her childhood trauma, Tammy developed true grit and learned how to turn life challenges into life affirmation. She put herself through college and set her aims even higher.  

Tammy earned a Master’s of Science degree in Business Administration (MBA)/Marketing. During the next 20 years she would help Fortune 500 companies develop their brands. The unstoppable courage and determination Tammy developed as a child has helped transform her into a fierce community activist and avid scuba diver who travels the world studying and advocating for the natural world. 

Pearlette, PhD, JD, is a civil rights lawyer, social justice advocate, entrepreneur and filmmaker. She facilitates empowerment workshops, provides resilience coaching and consulting, and leads travel adventures around the world.  

Born in Youngstown, Ohio and raised in the Brier Hill housing projects, Pearlette’s childhood home was poverty-stricken and riddled with substance abuse, domestic abuse and untreated mental illness. Due to the trauma, she fled her parents’ home when she was 15 years old. Within twelve months she was pregnant, married and a high school dropout. During her 20s, she struggled as a single mom who worked three jobs at a time just to make ends meet. These challenges prompted her to attend college, then law school, where she dreamt of changing the laws and systems that disproportionately impacted women and children.  

Pearlette holds a Juris Doctor from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and a PhD in Psychology from Saybrook University.  Committed to economic justice, she serves on the board of OneAZ Credit Union where she focuses on bridging the widening wealth gap.  Additionally, she tithes her time to various community organizations including the Arizona Black Bar, Arizona Lawyers for Equal Justice, Arizona State Bar Council on Minorities and Women in the Law, Arizona Center for Civil Leadership, Phoenix Rotary 100, Avondale Neighborhood and Family Services Commission, and Sisters Talk About Race (STAR).  

Her desire to transform the world through courageous leadership led her to produce her first social impact documentary: Three (Extra)Ordinary Women.   Pearlette also authored the book, The Travel Coach & Journal: Be a conscious traveler on your next journey---and let your vacation transform your life! in 2019.