A Funders Dialogue: Ten Years After 9/11

On July 14th, we hosted a dialogue about the current and rising challenges faced by Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian (AMEMSA) communities and organizations in the Bay area, ten years after the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Co-sponsored by Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP) and the Northern California Grantmakers (NCG), this funders session featured a panel representing AMEMSA organizations.

During the dialogue, moderated by Tessa Rouverol Callejo, the Foundation's FAITHS Program and Civic Engagement Officer, funders heard stories of increased surveillance, racial and religious discrimination, and media stereotyping. Speakers also described the positive experience of working collaboratively through AAPIP’s Civic Engagement Fund to build community capacity and civic engagement with residents from this incredibly diverse set of communities that are distinct yet share common experiences in the post 9/11 climate. The panel highlighted not only the heightened attention and scrutiny AMEMSA communities face, but also new opportunities and models for collaborative work to address wider community concerns.

The featured presenters were:

• Zahra Billoo, Executive Director of the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) San Francisco Bay Area chapter. CAIR is a grassroots civil rights and advocacy group, and America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, with regional offices nationwide and in Canada.
• Lily Haskell, Program Director of the Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC). AROC is a grassroots organization working to empower and organize communities towards justice and self-determination for all. AROC members build community power in the Bay Area by participating in leadership development, political education, and campaigns.
• Rajdeep Singh, Director of Law and Policy of the Sikh Coalition. The Sikh Coalition is a community-based organization that works towards the realization of civil and human rights for all people. In particular, it works towards a world where Sikhs may freely practice and enjoy their faith while fostering strong relations with their local community wherever they may be. 

Some important highlights from the program:

• AMEMSA communities, some of whom had been introverted, have found themselves in the public eye as part of the aftermath of September 11, 2001.
• Several issues impacting AMEMSA communities include, but are not limited to, profiling and surveillance by law enforcement, employment discrimination, and hate crimes.
• Opportunities include running for public office, dialogue around how to address Islamophobia, government and media engagement and alliance building, community organizing to build a common agenda, and access to immigration services.
• AMEMSA communities are still in the early stages of developing an internal dialogue, and there are also broader opportunities for other diverse communities to come together around shared visions.  
• Next steps for AMEMSA organizations and funders include creating inclusive local and national movements and continuing to create spaces for organizations that represent AMEMSA communities to develop their own agendas and connect the local work to the regional and national levels.

The San Francisco Foundation has supported these communities through its partnership with AAPIP’s Civic Engagement Fund (CEF) along with other funders. CEF currently works with 17 Bay Area AMEMSA organizations that represent diverse communities through an array of programs, strategies, and focus areas, including civic and political engagement, interfaith efforts, arts, and cultural programming, immigrant rights, and social and legal service provision. For more information on the Civic Engagement Fund, please contact Laila Mehta, AAPIP director of the Civic Engagement Fund, at 415.273.2760 x15 or laila@aapip.org.