On Thursday, April 2, 2015, Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus (ALC) and Council on American-Islamic Relations – San Francisco Bay Area (CAIR-SFBA) will join the San Francisco Human Rights Commission for the launch of their community project on Islamophobia and post-9/11 ethnic and racial discrimination.
When: Thursday, April 2, 2015, 5 p.m.
Where: San Francisco City Hall
Who: San Francisco Human Rights Commission, ALC, CAIR-SFBA
See: San Francisco Human Rights Commission Press Release
Playing advisory roles along with several other community organizations, ALC and CAIR-SFBA are proud community partners for the project. The project titled “Living in an Unfinished America: Experiences of Discrimination and Resilience by Arab Americans, Muslims and Sikhs” displays the reflections of a small group of Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim and South Asian community members who took part in a photo-voice methodology utilizing visual photography and personal narrative. The project will be presented as a photo exhibit.
“We are happy to see the City of San Francisco bring forth this initiative which seeks to give some voice to the experiences of discrimination of Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim and South Asian community members,” said Nasrina Bargzie, Senior Staff Attorney in the National Security Civil Rights Program at ALC. “We hope that this visual and narrative project can serve as a starting point for what more San Franciscans and the City can do to address the very real Islamaphobic and discriminatory experiences of Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim and South Asian community members in San Francisco.”
“San Francisco is leading the way in challenging anti-Muslim hate speech, through creative initiatives like this photo exhibit,” said Zahra Billoo, Executive Director of CAIR-SFBA. “With Islamophobia and hate crimes targeting the Muslim community on the rise in recent months, we hope this exhibit will start an important dialogue among San Francisco residents about the detrimental, personal impacts of these issues and foster shared healing.”
ALC and CAIR-SFBA as well as other community organizations that were part of the advisory committee will be attending the project launch on Thursday, April 2nd at 5 p.m. in City Hall. The project will debut as a photography exhibit with remarks by city and community members. The event is open to the public.
The Asian Law Caucus was founded in 1972 as the nation’s first legal and civil rights Asian American organization. Recognizing that social, economic, political and racial inequalities continue to exist in the United States, ALC is committed to the pursuit of equality and justice for all sectors of our society, with a specific focus directed toward addressing the needs of low-income, immigrant and underserved Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The Asian Law Caucus is a member of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice.
CAIR-SFBA is an office of CAIR, America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
Contact: CAIR-SFBA Executive Director Zahra Billoo, 626.252.0885, zbilloo@cair.com; Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus Senior Staff Attorney Nasrina Bargzie, 415.848.7733, nasrinab@advancingjustice-alc.org