Andy Shallal

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Anas "Andy" Shallal (born March 21, 1955 in Baghdad, Iraq) is an Iraqi-American artist, activist and restaurateur. He is best known for his opposition to the 2003 invasion of Iraq and as proprietor of the Busboys and Poets restaurant chain in the Washington, DC area.

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[edit] Early life

Shallal moved to the United States with his family in 1966. His father was Ambassador of the Arab League, a position he held until Saddam Hussein sezied power, after which they could not return. Looking for a business venture to support his family, Shallal's father bought Pizza Kaezano, a restaurant in Annandale, Virginia. The younger Shallal worked in his father's pizzeria and took art classes. He later attended Howard University and graduated from Catholic University of America. After graduating, Shallal believed he wanted to be a doctor, and took a research job in medical immunology at the National Institutes of Health.[1]

[edit] Restaurants

With the experience gained from working for his father's restaurant, Shallal co-founded the Mediterranean-themed Skewers with older brother Tony, in 1987. He opened a spinoff, Cafe Luna at the same corner at 17th and P, and later Luna Grille on Connecticut Avenue south of Dupont Circle. In 2000 he opened Mimi's American Bistro, featuring servers who sing, dance and play the piano between serving diners. Shallal has since sold his interests in these restaurants.

In September 2005, he opened Busboys and Poets at 14th and V, in the historic U Street neighborhood. The restaurant features a bookstore, performance space and a mural painted by Shallal. The restaurant was an instant success, embraced by the neighborhood and the progressive community, especially among activists opposed to the Iraq War. Busboys' clientele has included Ralph Nader, Cindy Sheehan and Tom Hayden.

Shallal opened a second Busboys location in July 2007. He plans to open a third location in the Washington area in 2008 and another restaurant with a new concept in 2009.[1]

[edit] Activism

Shallal has founded or co-founded several peace movement organizations and holds leadership positions in numerous others. Among them are Iraqi Americans for Peaceful Alternatives, created prior to the 2003 invasion, and The Peace Cafe, which seeks to promote Arab-Jewish dialogue. At 800 members it is the largest such group in the Washington, DC area. Shallal is a Peace Fellow with Seeds of Peace, spokesperson for Education for Peace in Iraq Center (EPIC) and is chair of the board of trustees for Abraham's Vision, an organization bringing together Arab and Jewish students. Shallal is a recipient of the United Nations Human Rights Community Award and has been named Man of the Year by the Washington Peace Center.

In 2005, Shallal spoke at the counter-inaugural of President George W. Bush held at Malcolm X Park. Later that year, he visited and provided catering at Sheehan's Camp Casey protest in Crawford, Texas.[2] Sheehan later participated in an Impeachment Forum sponsored by Democracy Rising at the U Street Busboys location.

He is a former Foreign Policy in Focus Analyst of the left-leaning think tank Institute for Policy Studies and current board member serving as Treasurer.[3]

[edit] Murals

Shallal painted the mural at IPS's headquarters on 16th street NW, which tells the story of the Institute and social movements it has been involved with. The mural is several hundred square feet and wrapped around a 50-seat square meeting room. Featured in the mural are the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Benjamin Spock and the late Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone. Also included are Chilean diplomat and IPS fellow Orlando Letelier and his assistant Ronni Moffitt, who were killed by a car bomb on Embassy Row in 1976. The mural depicts former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet weeping into a handkerchief. As a board member of IPS, Shallal painted the mural free of charge.

Shallal painted the civil rights movement-themed mural at Busboys and Poets, called Peace in Struggle Wall. He refuses to sign the civil rights mural at Busboys, saying this would be a "final gesture" that would preclude him from making revisions later.[4]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Shallal to launch third Busboys, a new concept, Erin Killian, Washington Business Journal, July 13, 2007.
  2. ^ War mother and supporters are settling in for a long siege, Carlos Guerra, San Antonio Express-News, August 16, 2005.
  3. ^ Institute for Policy Studies: Trustees, ips-dc.org, accessed March 9, 2008.
  4. ^ The Muralist, David Montgomery, Washington Post, May 1, 2006.

[edit] External links