“I’d definitely say he’s an iconic figure in the movement,” says Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the Council on American Islamic Relations, who counts Hoyt as a mentor. By “movement,” Rehab was referring to the broader social justice movement, not just immigration

CAIR-Chicago hosted a brown bag lecture featuring Joshua Hoyt, the Executive Director of the Illinois Coalition of Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), Lawrence Benito, Deputy Director at ICIRR, Merhdad Azemun from the National Peoples Action, and Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director of CAIR-Chicago.

Joshua Hoyt from the Illinois Coalition for Immigration and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), discusses the organization of the Egyptian Spring. According to Hoyt, physical courage in the face of police brutality is what led to the overthrow of the dictator, Hosni Mubarak.