#GivingTuesday2018 is upon us, so imma spend from now till end of the year shouting out my fam's annual drive to raise money for 3 excellent orgs serving #Syria people. Since 2015, we're raised nearly 60K since. We lay it all out here sites.google.com/site/helpsyria… but I'll also thread
The need is huge. There are several int'l organizations (that have massive operating budgets) doing a lot of necessary work. We'd like you to consider supporting orgs that are founded by Syrians/Syrian-Americans because often the best solutions come from communities themselves
I'm going to list, in no particular order, the organizations we support. They do a variety of things, and we realize that different folks are compelled by different activities. Hopefully there's something here you feel you can support #GivingTuesday2018
First up, @INARAorg founded by the amazing @arwaCNN provides life-saving and life-altering medical care for children from conflict areas who have catastrophic injury or illness and are unable to access treatment due to war. Watch a great video & give here: inara.org/malek
Second, @basmehzeitooneh founded by Syrians to serve the massive Syrian refugee population in Lebanon. Full disclosure, I sit on both global & USA boards. Donate to the US based NGO that supports them & watch this great video here: gofundme.com/ayv28-supporti…
#SYRIA please give, share w/your networks. feel free to pass around the individual fundraiser pages or the consolidated appeal w/all relevant links here: sites.google.com/site/helpsyria… (yes we made it on Google sites and looks homemade but the orgs themselves are the real deal)
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because i belong to an industry that is remarkably not self-reflective, i often have to assign my students in int'l reporting & cross cultural journalism criticisms from other disciplines -ie literature, film, art et al -- that also take on representations of other peoples
after an entire semester in intro to int'l reporting, after which we break down US nationalism & how it hands Americans a ready made language (made by the CIA in collusion w/US universities/think tanks etc ever since post WW2 era) w/which to rationalize US policy abroad and
Ok so @paulkrugman is doubling down. 2 points: first: the absolute numbers of Arab/Muslim or those perceived to be Arab or Muslim are way fewer than those of Black Americans or um all those who can be sexually assaulted (everyone)
Second: many crimes and discrimination cases went unreported because folks did not trust a government that was in the midst of dehumanizing in word and in deed Arabs and Muslims overseas (as well as domestically)
To clarify I misread - the number of potential hate crimes victims based on perceived sexual orientation is also larger that Arabs/Muslims or those who can be perceived to be
This is not the lived experience of many folks; numbers of discrimination cases & hate crimes are well documented. Check the book I edited for @voiceofwitness Patriot Acts. On a personal note, hate mail was sent to my work address, fake anthrax to my home all for an essay I wrote
Also, the #IRAQ#Afghanistan wars dehumanized Muslims and Arabs everywhere. Think it was great quality of life living in a country that destabilized the entire region where many of us come from while spewing a narrative that was ahistorical and racist?
Also tho true that GWBush did say things that sounded good abt Arab & Muslim Americans, his actions— including wars (one based on an utter fabrication) or imprisoning folks at Gtmo w/o any process to surveillance of communities— singled to Americans that our lives were less
Situation in #Beirut is dire. @basmehzeitooneh which usually works w #syria refugees in #Lebanon quickly shifted its operations to respond w relief efforts for our beloved city. Please GIVE. (Full disclosure I’m on intl & North America board & know how well run &effective BZ is)
Vid of @basmehzeitooneh crew cleaning up houses in #MarMikhael in #Beirut today - cleanup is part of what they are doing. They’ll be back at it tomorrow. Give if you can 🙏
ok, i have read this now twice. it is NOT a parody. wow, how remarkably tone deaf and disingenuous. also, did everyone who signed this letter actually read it? harpers.org/a-letter-on-ju…
They bemoan essentially cancel culture but use that as cover to whine about being called out for a variety of behaviors and dynamics that are totally legit up for debate
They themselves say: "The way to defeat bad ideas is by exposure, argument, and persuasion, not by trying to silence or wish them away."