THE MONUMENT

The Alex Odeh Memorial Statue was created by Algerian American political cartoonist and sculptor Khalil Bendib to honor Palestinian American civil rights advocate Alex Odeh. Bendib proposed the idea for the memorial to Odeh’s widow in 1992, and after receiving her approval, sought assistance from broadcaster and Arab American public figure Casey Kasem to raise funds. A steering committee was subsequently formed to guide the project.

Kasem emphasized the civic importance of the statue, framing it as a reminder of First Amendment protections and the responsibility of citizens to speak openly about their beliefs. Bendib donated his time and labor, while Kasem and the committee raised funds to cover the cost of bronze and casting. The completed sculpture was formally offered to the City of Santa Ana and unanimously accepted by the City Council in September 1993.

Three commemorative plaques at the pedestal appear in English, Spanish, and Arabic, reflecting the linguistic and cultural diversity of Santa Ana and the surrounding region.

The dedication ceremony took place on April 10, 1994, in front of the Santa Ana Public Library and was attended by more than 500 people, including local politicians and community activists. At the ceremony, Bendib noted that amid rising xenophobia and hostility toward immigrants, the statue would serve as a reminder of foundational American values, including peace, tolerance, and collective responsibility, asserting that “an attack on any particular group is an attack on all groups.” Despite the celebratory tone, Alex Odeh’s daughter Helena Odeh later recalled that some attendees expressed hostility toward her father and his work, revealing the persistence of hatred even toward a figure widely regarded as a unifier and advocate for peace (Helena Odeh, interview, March 2025)

In October 1996 and February 1997, red paint was thrown on the Alex Odeh Memorial Statue. The police investigated both events as hate crimes. The Arab American community had no doubt the vandalism was done in an effort to intimidate. Yousef Elia Haddad, President of the Arab-American Democratic Club, shared that he “believes that the vandals want[ed] to spread fear in our hearts so that we don’t speak our opinion.”

In 2020, the dove of peace, held in Odeh’s left hand, was stolen from the body of the statue. Many strongly believe it was intentionally broken off as an act of vandalism (Helena Odeh, interview, March 2025). The dove was subsequently found, returned, and reattached to the statue.