Monthly Archives: November 2016

ACLU: Know Your Rights

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The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has a long and storied history of fighting injustice, intolerance
The ACLU was founded to ensure the promise of the Bill of Rights and to expand its reach to people historically denied its protections. In our first year, we fought the harassment and deportation of immigrants whose activism put them at odds with the authorities. In 1939, we won in the Supreme Court the right for unions to organize. We stood almost alone in 1942 in denouncing our government’s round-up and internment in concentration camps of more than 110,000 Japanese-Americans. And at times in our history when frightened civilians have been willing to give up some of their freedoms and rights in the name of national security, the ACLU has been the bulwark for liberty.

Mission Statement
Because Freedom Cannot Protect Itself

Website link https://www.aclu.org/
aclu

SAARTHAK Initiatives of Relevance

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pic-1
Organization Name:
SAARTHAK Initiatives of Relevance

English class at Kathpuli Nagar

English class at Kathpuli Nagar

Mission:
We envision a society in which women and girls are valued, have a profound sense of worth and equal opportunities to unleash their potential.
Mission:
Saarthak aims to be a credible nonprofit organization facilitating initiatives of relevance for girls and women in quality education, capacity building and empowerment. We aim to continuously develop our international network of supporters through efficient, transparent and accountable functions to ensure the sustainability of our initiatives.

Locations/Phone Numbers:
A-14-A Indrapuri Colony, Near Apex mall, Lal Kothi Jaipur, India
pic-3 +91 99834 69760
pic-5 apandey@saarthakindia.org

Website Link: http://www.saarthakindia.org/index.html
Facebook Link: https://www.facebook.com/pg/saarthakindia/about/?ref=page_internal

Volunteer Activist Opportunities:

Saarthak facilitates initiatives in three areas: Education, Child Care and Women Empowerment.

  1. Education:
    • Volunteers offer much needed support to local teachers. Class sizes in India can be extremely large and under staffed. Volunteers add to the children’s’ educational experience by instructing classes while helping to develop students’ positive attitudes about personal hygiene and school attendance.
    • Working in local schools gives volunteers a chance to meet regularly with local children and their families.
    • When schools are not in session, volunteers utilize resources provided by Idex and the community to run independent classes in English and Math.
    • For those volunteers with a professional interest in education, teaching gives them a chance to hone their skills in a very different environment.
  2. Child Care:
    • Volunteers assist in local pre-school child-care centers, known as “Anganwadi”. The concept of “preschool” child care is new for India, where the joint family system has long provided ample child care providers.
    • Unlike Western countries, where child-care facilities exist primarily to free women to work, the Anganwadi’s main purpose is to serve pregnant women and provide a safe, healthy, and hygienic space for young children who would not be able to receive proper care at home.
    • Unfortunately, Anganwadis suffer from under funding and mismanagement. Volunteers share the work load with regular staff and help bring a level of professionalism, dedication and the community’s attention to these important institutions.
  3. Empowerment:
    • As in many countries around the world, Indian women often suffer from disproportionate educational and employment opportunities. In order to help redress this gender gap, volunteers instruct conversational English, computer, and vocational classes for local adolescent girls and grown up women.
    • Volunteers’ presence alone helps motivate women and young girls. Teaching and mentoring efforts help improve their confidence and self-esteem, increasing their sense of independence and personal fulfillment, while improving their educational and employment opportunities.

General Information: Founded in 2007 by Dr. Kusum Sharma, founder and Chairman of IDEX (Indian Network for Development Exchange, a volunteer and travel agency providing various opportunities to volunteer in India.

Haiti Rehab Project

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Organization Name:  Afya Foundation

Mission:

Afya’s Vision

Afya aims to provide an environmentally responsible solution to the dire shortage of healthcare supplies in underserved communities globally.

 

Locations/phone numbers:

140 Saw Mill River Rd, Yonkers, NY 10701

+1 (914) 920-5081

FAX: +1 (914) 920-5082

 

Website link:

http://afyafoundation.org/

 

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/TheAfyaFoundation

 

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/AfyaFoundation

 

There are many ways to get involved with Afya Foundation for the Haiti Rehab Project

  • Donating to support our rehab medicine program

 

  • Sponsoring a container shipment of rehab supplies

 

  • Volunteering at the warehouse to sort and pack supplies

 

 

  • To get involved with Afya Foundation:
  • Financial donation
  • Medical supplies donation
  • Volunteering
  • Internships
  • Fellowships

 

Council On American-Islamic Relations

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Organization Name: Council on American-Islamic Relations

Image result for council on american-islamic relations

CAIR: Who we are

The Council on American-Islamic Relations as defined by it’s actions and statements over 15 years of community service.

Introduction

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) was created as an “organization that challenges stereotypes of Islam and Muslims” (CAIR letter to Vice President Gore, 10/06/1995), a “Washington-based Islamic advocacy group” (Press release, 8/28/1995) and an “organization dedicated to providing an Islamic perspective on issues of importance to the American public” (Press release, 12/13/1995). Prior to establishing CAIR, its founders observed that “the core challenge [in America], that of stereotyping and defamation, was having a devastating effect on our children and paralyzing adults from taking their due roles in civic affairs” (“The Link,” a newsletter published by Americans for Middle East Understanding, February-March 2000). Within that understanding, they formed CAIR to challenge anti-Muslim discrimination nationwide.

Address:453 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20003

Phone: (202) 488-8787

Fax: (202) 488-0833

Website Link: https://www.cair.com/index.php

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CAIRNewYork/

VOLUNTEER APPLICATION

As a grassroots organization, our volunteers here at CAIR play a critical role in connecting our civil rights and civic engagement work with the community.  Here at our national headquarters in Washington, DC., we are looking for a team of dedicated volunteers to promote justice and mutual understanding within the Muslim community and beyond.  Submit your application today and join the CAIR Volunteer Action Network! Please note that if you live outside of the DC metropolitan area and are not interested in joining our social media team, your application will be redirected to the nearest CAIR chapter for local in-person volunteer opportunities.

Here’s the process for becoming a CAIR volunteer: 

  1. Fill out the application below
  2. Once we review your application, you will get a confirmation email –
  3. RSVP for the next Info Session, as outlined in the email: At the info session, we can get to know you and help match you up with the best opportunity to fit your availability, skills, and interests.
  4. Depending on the type of role you wish to play, you may be asked to come in for additional training!
  5. You’ll be added to our monthly volunteer email list for regular updates on opportunities and next steps for action.

https://www.cair.com/about-us/volunteer-with-us.html

Support CAIR today and help us fight for your civil rights

https://www.cair.com/donations/general-donation/campaign/#/donation

Our Community Your Voice

Berline Gassant

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We are all human beings, we may have different shades of color whether it may be brown, caramel, black or white we are all the same. I remember going to a meeting where there were all shades of races but instead of being together or mixed; each formed their own group with the same ethnic in each group, nobody different just all the same. I came into the meeting and realized how everyone was categorized by their ethnic groups but I decided to join any group. As I sat in this group I didn’t care if everyone seemed so much lighter than I was but others in the group did as they gave me funny looks or would even pretend I wasn’t even there. I knew why they were doing this but I didn’t let it bother me neither did I get up to join a group of  my ethnicity. I don’t see why its seen as such a big deal, why we are looked at as different when were really not. Society wants us to believe that we are all different and that its fine to just stay in our category but Its actually not because we are then just used to the same thing everyday when their are other cultures there to explore. Living in America all groups of ethnicity are all clammed together and there are many who dont mind blending in with other shades of people but there are also many who still do. The world is still a racist place but there are many things we can do ti change, even though it may seem impossible with having a soon to be racist president. If we come together we can make a change

Mario hall

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The ugly little monster that always shows its
Face – Racism

It is no surprise that racism is still pretty prevelent in our society today. Everyone has a racist thought every now and again and some people are open with their racism. I’m positive you can think of one racist joke about every race. It is one of those problems in the world that will never get fixed, or a problem we might not be around to see get fixed. It surely isn’t as bad as it was about a century ago, but we do have more work to do. The other day a white head coach Phil Jackson was referring to an incident with basketball player Lebron James. He recalled that lebron wanted to break a set in stone rule and go hangout with his “posse”. The use of that word sparked an outrage and people were calling for Phil Jackson to apologize. Lebron James is the best basketball player in the world and has always carried himself professionally on and off the court. He found it very disrespectful that Phil Jackson would refer to his people as a posse. Lebron views the action as racist, since he believes Phil would not have used the word posse had he not been black. In other words Lebron is calling Phil a racist for his choice of words. I do agree with Lebron about Phil probably not using that word if he was white, but I can’t speak on the racism since Phil Jackson has not shown himself to be that way. Was posse the best word he could of chosen? What made him choose that word? Could it be envy? We may never know. This reminds me of a quote from Age, Race, Class and sex, it says ” Certainly there are very real differences between us of age, race and sex. But it is those differences between us that are separating us. It is rather our refusal to recognize those differences, and to examine the distortions which result from our misnaming them and their effects upon human behavior and expectation”.

Visual Poverty in NYC

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There isn’t a day that goes by that i done see some sort of poverty in NYC. Most of what I see occurs in the subway everyday. Almost everyday someone comes in the train and announces that they are homeless and would value anything you give them. But in a city where people are always on the move  and speed is always increasing there is not a lot of attention to the homeless. As well not everyone can afford to give money to every homeless person they see in the subway. With this recently concluded election, who knows what will be done to change the amount of poverty in the country. Mayor Bill De Blasio just over a year ago announced a plan to help reduce the poverty rate by raising the minimum wage to give everyone a chance but that faces difficulty as raising the minimum wage is a state decision. What I seem to notice most about the homeless is that, while New York is a very diverse city, most are either Hispanic or African American or Asian. I read a few months ago that just under fifty percent of New York’s population is homeless. That mean just under fifty percent in made up of those three ethnic groups. In all honesty those are pretty disheartening numbers. Most of the time on the train, i have my headphones in my ear but those times when i listen to them explain their situation, one thing reoccurs. They receive little to no help from the government. Somehow you have to acknowledge that the homeless seek help from society and its officials. As Audre Lorde says in Age, Race, Class, Sex: Women Redefining Difference, “change means growth, and growth can be painful. But we sharpen self-definition by exposing the self in work and struggle together with those whom we define as different from ourselves, although sharing the same goals.(Lorde123)

 

Is This Truly A Tolerable Outcome? Love Trumps Hate!

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In today’s society of America, there has recently been a lot of hate for select groups in the country. There was already some existence in the media and hidden in the streets but it has become a lot more common recently. Why? Well the elect president Donald Trump has used a ‘divide and conquer’ technique during his entire campaign. What I mean by the ‘divide and conquer’ technique, is that he appealed to the majority of the country that were apparently the older-white-uneducated-middle class-or wealthy citizens of the country. Trump used the stereotyping of the minorities of the country to showcase them as the problem that needed solving. He did this because he could not offer anything, Trump used the hate of the past that still had presence and used it to appear as if he was qualified for the powerful position. I saw the effected that caused when I saw the fear and sadness of those I loved around me who were either homosexual, immigrant (legal and non) and women. On the night of the election hearts broke and fires of angry souls were lite. Trump in reality did not know the consequences that would lay ahead, the division that would reach outside of his control. Although this did allowed him to separate the country into weak groups instead of a strong country. The hate has crumpled the once strong foundation built with equality, justice and love. But how could he know as a privileged white wealthy man? In the article Peculiar Benefits by Roxane Gay, she states “You need to understand the extent of your privilege , the consequences of your privilege, and remain aware that people who are different from you move through and experience the world in ways you might never know anything about”. This ignorance that he was granted with his lifestyle allowed him to speak so lightly the harsh inflictions he made on not just minorities of race other than white but to those with disabilities and women. In conclusion, I wish America good luck for the next 4 years.