Category: local

Local Muslims respond to anti-Sharia/anti-Muslim rallies taking place on June 10th

We, the Civic Engagement Committee at the Islamic Center of Rochester, would like to publicly reject the anti-Sharia rallies taking place in Upstate New York and all over the country. These demonstrations, organized by longtime neo-Nazi Billy Roper and ACT for America, the largest anti-Muslim group in the country and a designated hate group (according to the Southern Poverty Law Center), aren’t occurring in a vacuum. Anti-Muslim sentiment is being fed by inflammatory statements and policy prescriptions coming all the way up from the presidency, most notoriously through the failed Muslim ban.

The constitution protects the rights of people of all faiths to practice their religion. This is a core American value that cannot be compromised. Hostility and intimidation toward people of different faiths, which is what these rallies aim to express, chip away at the values we strive to defend as Americans and make our communities less safe.

Hate and violence against minority communities, including an increase in surveillance and profiling of Muslims and all people of color, the detention and deportation of immigrants, the school to prison pipeline and prison industrial complex, as well as other modes of systemic oppression, cannot be normalized.

We must continue to support initiatives led by members of these marginalized communities so that we can unite and form sustainable movements founded on principles of justice and equality. We can only be safe, if all of us are safe.

We invite the Rochester community to connect with the Islamic Center of Rochester. This is the month of Ramadan, a time for Muslims all over the world to focus on charity and good deeds, to empathize with those who do not get to eat three meals a day, to share food with our neighbors and friends, and work together to make the world a more just and peaceful place. All are welcome.

the importance of the arts and storytelling in education

spoke to students at the university of rochester’s warner school of education yesterday. some of them are pre-service and training to become elementary school teachers, others are teaching in city schools already. we talked about the importance of the arts and humanities and their integration into a well-desgined curriculum, about storytelling, visuality, the production and circulation of images in our culture and filmmaking, and about the importance of finding and showcasing diverse voices, perspectives and storytellers in order for us to truly understand ourselves. i spoke about my own work and how it aims to break into the official discourse and ended the presentation with this video about stuart hall’s analysis of mainstream media and its ideology. i told the students how capitalism fails to assign value based on what’s truly important to society and thanked them for becoming teachers.

Fake News vs Journalism

Rajesh Barnabas: At 6:30 PM on May 31st at Harley School, Erica and I are giving a talk. Erica will be presenting the current and future landscape of journalism and I will be presenting rare video/audio clips from the local history of the alternative press in Rochester and how this intersects with activism. Emma Goldman, Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X, Mara Ahmed, Theodore Forsyth, Howard J. Eagle, and others’ work will be referenced.

erica bryant and rajesh barnabas

Equality Rally for Unity and Pride

On June 11, rallies and marches will be happening across the country to show support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning/queer (LGBTQ) people and our allies. The “Equality March for Unity & Pride” is a grassroots movement which will mobilize the diverse LGBTQ+ communities to peacefully and clearly address concerns about the current political landscape and how it is contributing to the discrimination of LGBTQ+ individuals. Join us at Washington Square Park from 12 – 2 pm for an Equality Rally for Unity and Pride. We will hear from community leaders as well as performances from local groups. The afternoon will end in a Solidarity Dance. Bring signs to show your support! All are welcome.

Sunday at 12 PM to 2 PM, Washington Square Park, 181 Clinton Ave S, Rochester, NY 14604

End the Occupation Rally

Twelve Corners, Brighton on Mon, June 5, 2017, 4:30-6:30 pm:

10+ years of Israel’s blockade of Gaza

50 years of Israel’s military occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem

70 years since the Nakba and ethnic cleansing of Palestine began following the partition of the land against the will of the indigenous people and

100 years since the Balfour Declaration, which set the stage for the Zionist movement to colonize Palestine and later to establish a Jewish state.

Join Christians Witnessing for Palestine June 5, 2017 on this 50th anniversary to demand an end to Israel’s brutal military occupation as part of a commitment to justice for all Palestinians, whether in historic Palestine or in exile.

We are responding to a call from Palestinians to send a clear message: Israel must end all its oppression of Palestinians for freedom, justice, and equality to prevail.

witness palestine rochester 2017

Pls add these dates to your calendar. The WPFF this year is better than ever!

Kick-off event with Palestinian American writer and human rights activist Susan Abulhawa on Sep 10, 2pm [Rochester Academy of Medicine]

Play reading “There is a field” written by Jen Marlowe and directed by Reuben J. Tapp at the Fringe Festival on Sep 14 at 9pm [MuCCC]

Film “Junction 48” on Sep 17 at 2pm [Little Theatre]

Short films “Gaza in Context” and “Gaza Fixer” on Sep 18 at 6:45pm [Little Theatre]

Film “Eyes of a Thief” on Sep 24 at 2pm [Little Theatre]

Film “Occupation of the American Mind” on Sep 25 at 6:45pm [Little Theatre]

Play reading “There is a field” at the Fringe Festival on Sep 28 at 7:30pm [MuCCC]

Celebrate Palestine on Oct 7 [Asbury First UMC]

More details soon.

Single Payer in NYS

Please Help Pass Single Payer in the NYS Senate NOW!
Contact Health Care Chairman Kemp Hannon’s Staff. The Bill is 4840. Let them know you support Single Payer. They are tallying numbers.

Albany Office
The Capitol – Room 420
Albany , NY 12247
Phone: 518-455-2200

sulam center at naz

nazareth college organized a dedication ceremony for the sulam center today, a space for jewish and muslim community, prayer and hope. a powerful idea that i endorse wholeheartedly. many friends amongst those who spoke and those who attended. two things i hope for: 1) not just joint worship and politically neutered dialogue but work on social justice, including on the thorny issue of israel/palestine, 2) the injection of new blood and more diverse voices, especially on the jewish side, including voices such as that of my friend rabbi Drorah Setel. the world is changing, perhaps not on the surface, but in deeper, human ways. it’s a time to be bold and seize it all.