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Hate violenceComparative Studies of South Asia, Africa, and the Middle East: "Youth Culture, Citizenship and Globalization"Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa, and the Middle East Footnote 11: There have been impressive efforts by local groups such as Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM) in New York City, that has been organizing around the detentions, South Asian American Leaders of Tomorrow (SAALT) in Washington D.C., South Asian Network in L.A., and Alliance of South Asians Taking Action (ASATA) in the Bay Area, among others. NLG SF Chapter News: "9-11 Project Update"National Lawyers Guild SF Bay Area Chapter News Excerpt: A total of 13,000 some Arabs and South Asians scheduled for deportation. 11,000 some Iraqi-Americans questioned by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). A new Office of the Inspector General report has openly critiqued the questioning of over 5,000 Arabs and Muslims for its egregious human rights abuses. The newest "enemy combatant" has been branded. Every day, it seems like a new Aschroft order has been issued, a new case has arisen, a new chapter is written in the story of post-September 11 United States. ColorLines: "Zero Tolerance: Racial Harassment in School Worsens for Scapegoated Students"ColorLines RaceWire It didn’t start on Sept. 11. But it did get significantly worse. People are afraid to sit next to you on the bus. Random strangers on the street point their finger, shouting that you’re a terrorist. Kids on the opposing soccer team throw rocks at you while you’re trying to play. AsianWeek: "Local and National Reports Document Sept. 11 Backlash"AsianWeek More than a year after Sept. 11, two detailed reports have been released documenting hate crimes and government backlash as a response to the terrorist attacks which rocked the nation. Both the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Northern California and the international organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) have called attention to the extraordinary change that has happened in the last year. San Francisco Bay Guardian: "The tensions come home"San Francisco Bay Guardian In Berkeley, strife over the U.S. role in the Middle East is spilling over from campus into the halls of government. Prominent members of Berkeley's Jewish community are charging progressive council member Kriss Worthington with anti-Semitism – and putting their weight behind Worthington's challenger, outspoken Zionist and UC Berkeley sophomore Micki Weinberg. SF Bay Guardian: "The tensions come home"San Francisco Bay Guardian In Berkeley, strife over the U.S. role in the Middle East is spilling over from campus into the halls of government. Prominent members of Berkeley's Jewish community are charging progressive council member Kriss Worthington with anti-Semitism – and putting their weight behind Worthington's challenger, outspoken Zionist and UC Berkeley sophomore Micki Weinberg. Journal of Asian American Studies: "So our history doesn't become your future"Journal of Asian American Studies Excerpt In the San Francisco Bay Area, members of the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action (ASATA) explained that, in the process of becoming more visibly racialized, South Asian communities witnessed similar inner-communal shifts and polarizations. Along with the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, San Francisco Chapter (ADC SF), Chinese for Affirmative Action, the Intergroup Clearinghouse (IC), and the Islamic Networks Group (ING), ASATA joined the coalition,"United Response Collaborative. The United Response Collaborative came together to provide assistance to community groups and individuals negatively affected by the backlash following the attacks of 9-11. This coalition focused particularly on working with Arab, Muslim, and South Asian groups to increase community capacity and identify appropriate strategies for preventing and addressing bias-motivated violence and discrimination." [22] For South Asian activists, multi-racial coalitions have served as key sites for addressing anti-South Asian racism and forging new links with Arab, Muslim, and other organizations committed to racial justice. Multi-racial coalitions additionally opened up new spaces for confronting antiMuslim sentiments within and between South Asian communities. [23] While South Asian activism since 9-11 has increased the visibility of South Asians within the organizing spaces for racial justice, it has also entailed confronting divisions within and between South Asian communities. For example, since 9-11, South Asian activism has brought heightened attention to the role of U.S.-based right-wing Hindu fundamentalist community groups, who lend financial support to anti-Muslim projects, such as mosque demolitions, in India. By ASATA at Oct 1 2002 - 00:00 | Hate violence | Media Mention | South Asia | Continued... | 4012 trackbacks
PR Week: "Minorities Under Pressure"PR Week The year since 9/11 has shown that minorities seeking US acceptance have much work to do. But several ethnic groups are progressing by working together. We have made it past the first anniversary of September 11, and a quiet relief is palpable across the nation. India-West: "Anti-Discrimination Groups Forge Collaborative"India-West Five anti-discrimination organizations have formed a "United Response Collaborative" in their efforts to address the backlash against Bay Area South Asians, Arab Americans, Muslims, and others perceived to be Middle Eastern since last year's attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The Collaborative, which consists of the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee of San Francisco, Chinese for Affirmative Action, Intergroup Clearinghouse, and Islamic Networks Group, will call upon public officials and agencies, ranging from law enforcement to health, to also prepare for a potential spike in bias-motivated assaults against the targeted groups. BBC News: "US city tackling race hate"BBC News Civic leaders in San Francisco who fear reprisals against Muslims in the run up to the first anniversary of 11 September have launched an anti-hate campaign. The message the city fathers want to send out is very clear. "In this city, which has always been known for its tolerance, the only thing we will not tolerate is intolerance," declared District Attorney Terence Hallinan. AsianWeek: "We Are Not the Enemy"AsianWeek On a typical weekday afternoon, the San Francisco Muni bus for Line 1 passes every 10 minutes. When it halts and picks up its patrons, riders or passersby may glance at an ad posted on the bus tail with a message and four faces. A young woman with dark skin and long dark hair, a short-haired, dark-skinned businessman, a man with a turban and a girl wearing a bhurka represent a sign that reads: “We are not the enemy. We are your community.” SF Chronicle: "Anti-hate campaign begins in S.F."San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco civic leaders unveiled an anti-hate poster campaign Monday, calling for an atmosphere of racial tolerance on the eve of the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Berkeley Daily Planet: "Minority groups demand hate crime policies"Berkeley Daily Planet Minority activists of numerous descents took to heart the idiom “strength in numbers” Monday and joined together on the steps of Old City Hall to speak out against the rising incidence of hate crime. Having recently swayed San Francisco leaders to channel more city dollars into preventing and responding to acts of religious and racial hatred, the coalition representing five different ethnic advocacies is now urging the city of Berkeley to do the same. AsianWeek: "Talk Focuses on Why the Palestinian-Israeli Crisis is an APA Concern"AsianWeek “Is this the talk about the Middle East?” asked one perplexed latecomer to the May 17 MidEast Forum in San Francisco. In one sense, his confusion was understandable. Let’s face it: the usual suspects for a talk on the Palestinian Israeli conflict are, well, Palestinians and Israelis — plus Arab and Jewish Americans, and maybe a handful of hippies. But in this crowd, the usual suspects were far outnumbered by Americans of South Asian, Southeast Asian and East Asian descent. By ASATA at May 24 2002 - 00:00 | Hate violence | Media Mention | Peace | Continued... | 4063 trackbacks
India-West: "San Francisco Hears Testimony From Bay Area South Asians"India-West "I go to bed at night recalling a voice over the phone informing me that there was a bullet waiting for my head and for that of my child," remembered a young Muslim woman at the San Francisco Board of Supervisors' hearings on hate crimes Jan. 10. City Hall was packed with people who sprawled to the back of the legislative chambers as members of the Arab, Afghani, and South Asian populations gave testimony about their experiences with hate crimes in the wake of Sept. 11. AsianWeek: "Taking Action: Affected Communities Testify at City Meeting "AsianWeek Recently, a San Francisco radio host commented on racial profiling at U.S. airports. He said if the Sept. 11 terrorists had blue eyes and blond hair, authorities would be tracking people with blue eyes and blond hair — hence, he stated, racial profiling is not an issue. AsianWeek: "2001: The Year in Review"AsianWeek 2001 started out with Asian Pacific Americans infiltrating a Republican administration — Norman Mineta and Elaine Chao were appointed and confirmed into top positions in the cabinet— and ended with months of the most extreme, violent anti-immigrant backlash this country has seen in years. In less than a week, after one fateful day in September that changed world history, hate crimes rose dramatically in number. Some parts of the country recorded increases in thousands of percent from the beginning of the year. By ASATA at Jan 4 2002 - 00:00 | Hate violence | Media Mention | Peace | Continued... | 4019 trackbacks
AsianWeek: "Migrant Solidarity Fights Backlash"AsianWeek On a crisp, clear Oakland morning, over 100 supporters gathered near the Federal Building for the "U.N. International Day of Solidarity With Migrants." Sponsored by nearly 20 social, political and community activist organizations, the Dec. 18 event called for Bay Area immigrants to unite and protect the civil liberties of all people. PNS: "To Silicon Valley Indian Entrepreneurs: Where Are You When the South Asian Community Needs You?"Pacific News Service As I watched the gathering of 30 or so Bangladeshi Hindus protest against Islamic fundamentalism in a downtown park, a white Toyota crept up slowly. From the driver’s seat a middle-aged white man yelled, “We should kill all of you!” and sped away. AsianWeek: "Splinters of Terror: How the WTC Bombing Affects Us All"AsianWeek Shock spread quickly across America — and then throughout the world. On Tuesday morning, two hijacked airliners crashed into the World Trade Center, bringing down the twin 110-story towers. A jetliner also slammed into the Pentagon, as the seat of government itself came under attack. Hundreds were killed and untold numbers were feared dead in the rubble. Thousands were injured in New York alone.  |