Hassen, Aliya, 1910-1990.

Arab-American community leader in the Dearborn-Detroit area of Michigan.

Seen by many as the "mother" of the Dearborn-Detroit Arab community, Aliya Ogdie-Hassen was born in South Dakota on April 30, 1910, the daughter of immigrant homesteaders from Lebanon. At the age of 14, Hassen entered into a prearranged marriage, which eventually ended in divorce sixteen years later. In 1925, Hassen left South Dakota to live with cousins in Detroit.

In the early 1950s, Hassen moved to New York City. It was there that she earned her private investigator's license. Serving in a number of retail security positions, Hassen also served as the Civil Defense Director of Brooklyn's 82nd Precinct.

During her years in New York, Aliya Ogdie-Hassen became actively involved in a number of Islamic organizations that worked towards social change in both the United States and the Arab world. This included organizing the Egyptian Arab American Seaman's Society. Hassen also acted as a liaison between the Federation of Islamic Associations of the United States and Canada and the U.S. Black Muslim movement known as the Nation of Islam. It was during this period that Hassen formed a lasting friendship with Malcolm X. Her friendship and correspondence with Malcolm X grew out of her work to unite Islamic organizations and to spread the message of an egalitarian Islam. Her work led her to the Middle East where she made a pilgrimage to Mecca and developed friendships with Arab leaders.

In 1972, Aliya Ogdie-Hassen moved back to Detroit and assisted in the development of the newly formed Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS). She organized English classes and helped with food, housing and translations for hundreds of new immigrants of Arab descent. Serving as ACCESS director for nine years, Hassen helped transform the organization from a storefront operation into a full-fledged social services agency that offered medical, legal, educational, and other services to thousands of Arab families on an annual basis. For her work in the organization, Hassen received dozens of awards and citations which included the prestigious national Jefferson Award. After stepping down as director in 1982, Aliya Ogdie-Hassen continued to serve on the board and executive committee of ACCESS until her death in May 1990.