During 2005, Mr. Abdullah was the managing editor for the Washington Afro-American newspaper, one of the longest running weekly African-American family-owned newspapers in the country.  In 2004, he served as a senior writer and editor for Summit Health Institute for Research and Education, Inc. (SHIRE).  At SHIRE, he assisted in projects on informed consent and health disparities and was the lead writer of Giving Voices to the Voiceless: Language Barriers and Health Access Issues of Black Immigrants of African Descent, a report published by The California Endowment.  In addition to having served as staff to a city councilmember and to an Advisory Neighborhood Commission, Mr. Abdullah’s professional experience also includes the following:  executive director of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) from 2000 to 2003; communications director at NBCSL from 1995 to 2000; research director and guest panelist for America’s Black Forum television show during the 1980s; editor of several local newspapers; and editorial consultant on books and other publications.