Blue Heart
February 2017
This month, you're funding Arab and Muslim organizing!
Bay Area members are funding the Arab Resource and Organizing Center in San Francisco.
National members are funding the Arab American Action Network, based in Chicago.
“Organizing isn't always the sexiest thing and it's not what funders want to support or what the media pays attention to. But it is what builds power in the community. Organizing is about developing people’s leadership and building the power of folks who have a stake in the work."
- Lara Kiswani, Executive Director, AROC
Lara Kiswani. Photo credit: Scott Tsuchitani
February Recommended Actions
This month, we invite you to take at least one action in support of Arab and Muslim communities
Bay Area Actions
Anti-Islamophobia Canvassing with Jewish Voices for Peace.
Feb 18, 1-3pm in Oakland. Put it in your calendar and we will post the info in our Facebook group!
Movie Night!
Come watch Occupation of the American Mind on February 28th. Learn more and RSVP here.
Volunteer with the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
National Actions
Join the Pledge to #LeadWithLove
Hundreds of people have pledged to "move boldly forward, grounding our actions in fierce love." #LeadWithLove specifically emphasizes centering the leadership of people targeted by hate and violence, such as Muslim and immigrant communities.
Volunteer with the Arab American Action Network
Host a #TakeOnHate Community Conversation
Check out this toolkit to help you organize group conversation in your workplace, school, neighborhood, or religious institution. Register your event to get specific guidance to help you host.
Meet Our February Artist
Nidal El-Khairy is a Palestinian artist who uses multi-media illustration to bring attention to the struggle and resilience of the Palestinian people. After completing a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts in Massachusetts, Nidal El-Khairy lived in Montreal for nearly five years. In 2006, he moved back to Amman, Jordan, where his family had eventually settled after being displaced during the 1948 Nakba - the expulsion of 750,000 Palestinians during the formation of the Israeli state.
His art practice is based in disciplines and techniques such as drawing, stencil, illustration, comics and muralism. His work has been featured in art spaces and websites such as Electronic Intifada, in newspapers such as Al Akhbar and Ak Safeer in Lebanon, as well as on a Noam Chomsky book cover. He has participated in group shows such as Artists Against the Israeli Occupation, in both Montreal and Tokyo, has an exhibitions in Caracas and Amman. He is active in several grassroots organizations such as the Coalition Against the Deportation of Palestinian Refugees.
Meet the Movement Leaders
Lara leading the protest against Trump's immigration ban at the San Francisco airport on January 28-29.
Photo credit: SF Gate
Lara Kiswani, Executive Director of AROC
"There are times for allies to step in and support and there are times for allies to just watch and learn. And that's probably my biggest piece of advice for folks - assess where it makes sense for you to have a role and also be comfortable with not always having a role.
Also, learn about the issues and don’t be afraid to ask those difficult questions. Particularly in the coming days, be more critical and courageous in your efforts to challenge racism no matter how it looks or where it shows up."
DIG DEEPER
Recommended readings and resources for Blue Heart members
AROC's Successful Anti-Zionist Campaign in 2014
4min watch
Watch this short video about AROC’s successful campaign in 2015 blocking boats attempting to carry military supplies to Israel from Oakland. Keep an eye out for Blue Heart member Bradley Heinz :)
Life in America: Arab & Muslim Americans Speak
8min watch
Ahmed Ahmed talks about the challenges of being a Muslim-American comedian and actor, like getting racially profiled and typecast as a terrorist.
Israel on the Offensive in Palestine
6min read
Israel is emboldened by Trump’s presidency and has approved thousands of additional housing blocks in the occupied West Bank. This article provides a review of current politics and events with the occuipation Palestine.
In an Era of Alternative Facts, Real News Matters
Follow Al Jazeera to stay updated on Arab and Muslim issues. Self-education is a vital action as you show up in allyship.
Stay Outraged & Don't Lose Your Mind
5min read
For those flirting with political burnout, it’s critical that we take care of ourselves and stay focused on the issues that matter to us. Read this short article about how to stay outraged while not losing our minds.
Blue Heart Impact: Your Dollars at Work
Each month, at least $10 of your subscription goes to that month's partner organization. For Boost Up, Pollinate, and Amplify Members, $20/mo or more goes to our partners. To boost up your giving next month, click here.
By choosing to be a Blue Heart member you are investing in social change not supported by traditional philanthropy. We believe that model is broken. Responding to the root causes of injustice requires building the self-determination of the communities most marginalized by our dominant, extractive economy. And this means funding the small, scrappy, movement-building organizations on the front lines. By voting with your dollar, you believe this type of transformation is possible.
This month, we sent $1,040 to AROC and AAAN.
Our goal is to send at least $2,500/month to our grassroots partner organizations by March 1.
Will you help grow the Blue Heart community?
90 percent of our new members have joined because an existing member personally recommended it to them via email or social media.
We ask you to share Blue Heart with 1 person today.
Next month you will be funding El Quinto Sol, a grassroots organization that strengthens the community of low-income farm workers in California's Central Valley through community organizing, education, social services, and leadership development.
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