ARABS FOR BLACK LIVES COLLECTIVE
We begin by extending our condolences and prayers of love and protection to the family of George Floyd, and to all of the families who had loved ones ripped away from them by police violence. On May 25th, Floyd, a 46 year-old Black man known to friends and community members as “Big Floyd,” was murdered by four Minneapolis Police officers. In our grief we are reminded that centuries of state-sanctioned police violence against Black communities in this country continues to be upheld and harbored by structural racism, as well as an uninterrupted system of anti-Blackness.
We remember and mourn Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Nina Pop, Tony McDade, Antwon Rose Jr., Korryn Gaines, Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, Sandra Bland, Walter Scott, Tamir Rice, Laquan McDonald, Freddie Gray, Ezell Ford, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, John Crawford III, Renisha McBride, Mohamed Bah, Rekia Boyd, Trayvon Martin, Aiyana Stanley-Jones, Oscar Grant, Yassin Mohamed, Sean Bell, Amadou Diallo, Tyisha Miller, Latasha Harlins, Eleanor Bumpurs, Ronald Stokes, Emmett Till and all those whose lives were abruptly taken by the forces of white supremacist violence in this country. May they each rest in peace and power.
As a collective of non-Black Arabs* we take this moment of outrage and mourning to recommit to the imperative work we must do in our own communities — as Angela Davis has explained, “In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist.” We define anti-Blackness and anti-Black racism as both the systemic and cultural devaluing of Black life globally.
We must collectively work to eradicate anti-Blackness and racism from anywhere it persists within the community. We must have the vital conversations within our own families and with our loved ones about things we can do to ensure we actively do anti-racism work. We continue to fight against both racism and anti-Blackness against Black Americans and Afro Arabs within our own community. It is our responsibility to confront our households, neighborhoods, and places of worship when they perpetuate anti-Blackness as well as take necessary action to divest from the carceral system and the policing of Black people that destroys lives. It is our responsibility to fight for a future that invests in education, healthcare, reparations, as well as healthy communities — safe from toxic food, water, dumping and profit-driven pollution — where families can flourish and thrive.
We have a critical moment before us, and our families, to ensure we are not reliant on a system that makes someone else vulnerable to tragedy. In many major cities across the U.S., Arab-owned corner stores are concentrated in predominantly Black working class neighborhoods. We need to examine how we are showing up to support the Black community, and what steps we are taking that do not involve reliance on law enforcement. We have seen too many lives violently taken away by bringing police into Black communities. Best practices are being shared and discussed, for example, MuslimARC has hosted a “Doing Business in Black Neighborhoods Panel” to discuss how Muslim communities can strengthen their bonds through solidarity in this time of crisis. The disproportionate disparities here are structural and we cannot contribute to it, be complicit to it, and we must fight against it.
As a collective, we will prioritize this body of work, connect and build with our own people, and recommit daily to the practice of anti-racism until all of us are free.
If you are an Arab horrified by the state-sanctioned destruction of Black life, we invite you to add your voice to our joint statement, reach out to us for an anti-racist training for your community, and take action immediately by supporting activists across the country who are risking their lives to demand Justice for George Floyd and the countless souls who have lost their lives to white supremacist policing and violence.
We hope you join us.
*When we say “Arab” we refer to a vast and diverse community of Arabic speaking peoples that includes Black, African, indigenous, non-Black, light-skinned peoples who originate from Southwest Asia and North Africa. Importantly, that community could also include non-Arab minorities, like the Armenians, and Arabized peoples, like the Amazigh, Nubians, and others.
with love,
+Signatories
ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE RIGHT NOW
- Donate to local bail funds like Minneapolis Freedom Fund and other bail funds in cities you live in or are close to where protests are taking place.
- Demand accountability. Black Lives Matter’s petition is calling for “sustainable transformation” that demands national defunding of police and investment in Black communities. Join the Movement for Black Lives’ “Week of Action in Defense of Black Lives” (which includes national and local demands).
- Have a conversation with family and friends about what is happening, and ask them to commit to actively fighting anti-Blackness and racism within the community. Commit to disrupting racist behavior and language when they are encountered in our own communities. Use these moments as opportunities to begin to educate family and community members on anti-racism.
- Continue to donate and support the efforts, of local and national Black led organizations such as:
Reclaim the Block, Black Visions Collective, Al-Mauun in Minnesota, Movement for Black Lives, Muslim Wellness Foundation, Dream Defenders, Black Youth Project100, ReformJailsLA, Dignity and Power Now, Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative (MuslimARC)
- Get involved or deepen your involvement with local and national organizations and advocacy groups within our communities, including:
- Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative (MuslimARC), Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC), SWANA-LA, UNBOUGHT POWER, MPower Change, Inner-city Muslim Action Network (IMAN), Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), Arab American Action Network, the Arab American Cultural Center at University of Illinois-Chicago, the Arab American Institute, and Arabs for Black Power.
- For immediate solidarity work around corner stores, check out IMAN X MuslimARC’s newly launched Corner Stores Witnesses initiative and watch MuslimARC’s “Doing Business in Black Neighborhoods Panel” with Imam Makram El-Amin, Asha Noor, Margari Hill, Rana Elmir, Zareena Grewal and Zuhdi Masri.
- Watch the Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee’s crucial event on Palestinian solidarity with Black communities featuring Ajamu Dillahunt, Noura Erakat and Ahmad Abuznaid