At HEART, we are committed to dismantling the root causes of gender-based violence (GBV) and oppression in the communities we live, work, and pray in. This especially includes addressing racism and white supremacy – that sit at the foundation of violence in all its forms. Anti-black sentiment, racial bias and profiling, and blatant discrimination is ingrained in our communities and in the very systems we interact with every day, including police and law enforcement. This reality has resulted in centuries of increased surveillance and police brutality, disproportionately targeting Black communities, resulting in the unjust murders of Black people across the nation.
We honor the lives of those who were murdered by law enforcement just in the last few weeks. We say their names and send love to their families.
George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Sean Reed. Ahmaud Arbery. Tony McDade. Nina Pop.
And the list goes on.
At HEART, we believe that at the very core of our being that Black Lives Matter. To be committed to anything less would be in conflict with our understanding of how systems of oppression intersect and contribute to violence in all its forms.
At the same time, we recognize that as an organization led predominantly by South Asian and Arab women, our work tends to most often reach and resonate with those who look and sound like us. This clearly means that we have shortcomings in building intentionally with Black Muslim communities across the country and we pledge to do better.
We take direction from our Black community leaders, in particular, our board members Kafia Ahmed and Betty Rose Green , our advisor Kameelah Rashad, our organizational partner Margari Hill, Mariame Kaba, and especially Black Muslim leaders in California who have made clear asks of their non-Black colleagues in the movement. There is no turning back in this moment to reform the systems in place because they have been broken for far too long.
As such, we stand in solidarity with Black Muslim leadership in calling for an end to police brutality. We pledge to continue our commitment in the following ways:
- We will participate in the Day of Outrage on June 5th to speak out against anti-blackness.
- We will uplift information, resources, and calls to actions by those on the frontlines of anti-blackness.
- We will use our expertise in bold messaging and education towards anti-racism education.
- We pledge to continue our organizational development that is grounded in an anti-racism lens, both as a non-profit and for all of us individually. We cannot expect change to happen systemically if we do not first work to improve ourselves.
- We are renewing our commitments with our extended team of trainers, interns, and volunteers by asking them to sign on to our statement of solidarity.
- We will continue to use an intersectional lens with the sexual violence prevention and intervention work we are leading in Muslim communities.
- We are committed to our ongoing professional development by experts in racial equity. We are committed to financially investing allocated zakat funds towards anti-racism work on the frontlines.
- We will work with individuals and organizations that are using a racial justice framework.
- We will double down on our commitment to invest in the leadership of women of color, especially Black women, by developing various avenues to leadership in our organization.
- We will deepen our partnerships with Black Muslim-led organizations.
We are indebted to the labor and sacred resistance of Black leaders in this country and beyond. Our team has benefitted from the knowledge and foundational organizing work of leaders from SisterSong, the Movement for Black Lives, Move to End Violence, MuslimARC, Muslim Wellness Foundation, the Me Too Movement and others who have paved the way for the work to end gender-based violence to be done in a way that is intersectional and simultaneously challenges white supremacy and the other systemic oppressions that sit at the core of GBV.
As an organization driven by our faith, we are committed to standing firmly against injustice, as decreed by the Quran, whether it be against ourselves, our families or communities. To be anti-racist is a continual process and we must start by looking at the ways we have internalized or externalized white supremacist/dominant culture. It is a lifelong commitment and we are here for the marathon.
We call on our communities to join us.
Protect one another. Defund Police. Demand police stand down against protesters. Close prisons and jails. Support Black-led organizations with your money, your time, and your talent. Begin with looking internally at your implicit biases and be in the active practice of disrupting them. Hire Black-led organizations to train you, your staff, and leadership. Revisit your hiring policies and organizational culture. Challenge yourself to think about the difference between tokenism and authentic inclusion. Have difficult conversations with your families. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Hold space for those to heal.
Make duaa (prayer) that our communities do better. Make duaa that we stay safe. That we live to see the day where we are all liberated, can live, and breathe.
Make duaa for Black lives to matter, now, and always.
In Solidarity. From our heart to yours.
The HEART team
Links/Resources:
- MN Bail Fund and Support List
- Los Angeles Action Bail Fund
- Chicago Bail Fund
- Muslim ARC
- Muslim Wellness Foundation
- Minnesota Freedom Fund
- Stand with Minneapolis: We Can’t Breathe
- Liberty Fund NYC
- Emergency Release Fund ← focused on trans people
- Brooklyn Bail Fund
- Bail Funds and Legal Help Across the Nation
- National:
Leave a Reply