YALLA VOTE ‘08 Our Voice. Our Future.

The other day, I had an opportunity to go around Steinway St. in Queens and meet a few of the local businessmen, and see the churches and mosques that make up the Arab American community here. First, let me just say that this neigborhood is truly vibrant and beautiful. There is a tremendously diverse Arab American community here that meshes together into one unique whole. Morroccans and Palestinians next to Lebanese, Yemeni, Egyptians, and Syrians- truly a beautiful thing. However, when discussing this neigborhood with Mr. Rami Nuseir, who heads the American Mideast Leadership Network, I came to understand that despite the positive environment, and strong community, there is very little in the way of political organization out here. This realization was at once troubling and encouraging.

On the one hand, trying to get large communities of Arab Americans to do anything at the same time can feel a bit like herding cats, and the prospect of recruiting volunteers, and getting signatures for the Yalla Vote National Petition seems daunting. On the other hand, the community that already does exist is so proud of its various cultures, and open to sharing it with the rest of the world. I see the potential in this neighborhood to utilize the network of good will and the true commitment to Arab American values that already runs deep in Queens. As a field organizer, I need to take what already exists in this cultural and social community and figure out how to transform that energy and enthusism into a cohesive political force to be reckoned with. I feel that the microcosm of Steinway Street in Queens examplifies the struggle for Arab American political assertion on a national scale. We’re here, we are proud of who we are, but for some reason we have difficulty banding together, organizing, and using the channels available to us as Americans to galvanize positive change. Hopefully, by the end of the Yalla Vote campaign, my hefty contact lists and business directories, which will eventually manifest themselves as signatures and actual voters, and serve as a new start for Arab American political empowerment in Queens and beyond.

Yalla Vote field interns visit the DNC…

…and the RNC…

… and our nation’s Capital.

To see more photos of their Washington adventure, please visit our Flickr photostream.

Hassan Abraham was born and raised in Dearborn, Michigan, where he has been a committed community activist and student leader. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor in 2005, and he obtained his J.D. From Wayne State University Law School in Spring 2008. Hassan has previously interned with the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee, and he was a Vice-Chair for Students Allied for Freedom and Equality, a social justice student organization at the University of Michigan. Recently, Hassan has been active in the presidential primary, traveling to several states to campaign on behalf of his preferred candidate. He has also worked in legal aid in Detroit, providing family law and disability law services to indigent clients.

If you’d like to email Hassan, he can be reached at: aai-michigan@yallavote.org

Hear what Hassan has to say:

Hail to the Voters: Michigan Campaign Begins

Well, the Michigan staff of AAI is back in our Dearborn office this week, energized and fired up for an exciting summer and fall in Michigan. Our office is now fully operational, preparing the groundwork for a successful Yalla Vote campaign, and planning ways to make a powerful presence in the largest Arab community outside of the Middle East.

The training we experienced in Washington D.C. was incredibly informative, and we’ve already incorporated many of the great ideas that we learned at out training sessions in D.C., including the creation of a goal thermometer for the National Petition, and posting photos of our volunteers in our office.  We look forward to developing this office much further, so that it becomes a true community hub, where activists, students, local leaders, and residents stop by and utilize the resources of the Yalla Vote campaign. Help make this office yours, come by to chat, pick up signs, tshirts or buttons, give us feedback, or sign the petition… this is your campaign, Yalla Vote!

My first week as a Field Organizer in Cleveland is almost over and I’ve already learned so much about the Arab American community here from the local businesses to the organizations that bring the community together. I’m looking forward to meeting with some of these organizations next week and working with them throughout the election season and beyond to get the Arab American community politically active. All of the people that I have spoken to seem really excited about what we’re going to be doing.

Last night I had the opportunity to go the the monthly meeting of the Lakewood Democratic Club. (Lakewood is a Cleveland area city that has a very high population of Arab Americans and is therefore a great place to get Arab Americans involved.) This particular meeting was for their bi-annual elections but they did give me the opportunity to speak to the group. I explained that the Institute is working to bring Arab Americans into both parties coordinated campaigns so that they can become politically active and empowered. At the end of the meeting several people came up to me to say that they are really excited about what the Arab American Institute is doing and that they look forward to having more Arab Americans in the community become involved in their efforts. I even met two local Arab Americans who are already involved in the group and who informed me about events in the community this summer. In about a week I plan to attend the monthly meeting of the Brooklyn Republican Club Meeting (another area city that has a high population of Arab Americans) and I hope that they will be just as excited about what we’re doing and that members of the community are interested in getting involved.

-Nadia

AAI is proud to introduce the Yalla Vote Field Organizers. For information about these amazing young men and women, and how to contact them, please visit the Field Organizers page here at Yalla Vote.
Hassan, our Field Organizer in Michigan, gives us an update:

Yesterday, the staff here at the AAI Michigan Field Office had the great honor of meeting with a delegation of visiting Arab and Turkish community leaders and activists from Germany. The German guests were visiting our community on a tour with the U.S. State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). The IVLP is an exchange program run designed to build professional connections between communities in the U.S. and leaders abroad. Past alumni of the IVLP program include over 200 past and current heads of state, including Afghan President Hamid Karzai and former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

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*Our Yalla Vote Field Organizers are hitting the ground running. For information about these amazing young men and women, and how to contact them, please visit the Field Organizers page here at Yalla Vote. Here is what Melissa, our Field Organizer in Florida, has to say about her experience so far:

What images does Washington, DC conjure up for you? For me, it was cherry blossoms, Smithsonian exhibits, and Presidential motorcades. Last week, I had the opportunity to see so much more than that.

As the AAI Field Organizing Intern from Orlando, Florida, I traded in my palm trees for those famous cherry trees this week to attend our training session in Washington, DC.

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*Our Yalla Vote Field Organizers are hitting the ground running. For information about these amazing young men and women, and how to contact them, please visit the Field Organizers page here at Yalla Vote. See what Samar, our Field Organizer in California, has to say:

My trip to DC has been an educational experience wrapped up in adventure . The last two days have been extremely educational and full of excitement. I was able to see historic sights that I only dreamed of seeing in person. I am really excited and look forward to a successful Yalla Vote campaign in Anaheim. One of the highlights of this trip has to be meeting Dr. Jim Zogby, ever since I saw him give a speech in California, I have been fascinated and have looked up to him. For more than twenty years, he has fought for the rights of Arab Americans and have lead others in the struggle for equality. Overall, I am really excited, happy and enthusiastic for the upcoming months.

-Samar

*Our Yalla Vote Field Organizers are hitting the ground running. For information about these amazing young men and women, and how to contact them, please visit the Field Organizers page here at Yalla Vote. Here are some words from Nadia, our Field Organizer in Ohio:

I recently got back from training in Washington, D.C. and am now back in the field beginning to organize. I had an amazing time in D.C. getting to know the rest of the AAI staff and learning practically everything possible about field organizing. But now it’s time to hit the ground running.

I am so glad to be given the opportunity to work in the Yalla Vote campaign considering the extreme importance of this year’s election. Arab-Americans, although a minority, can still have a tremendous impact on the outcome of the election, both through voting and through participation in the coordinated campaigns of each party. I hope that throughout my time working as a field organizer here in Cleveland I can encourage more Arab Americans, young and old, to become involved in the political process so that as a community are voices can be heard loud and clear and so that the issues important to us are addressed.

-Nadia

*Our Yalla Vote Field Organizers are hitting the ground running. For information about these amazing young men and women, and how to contact them, please visit the Field Organizers page here at Yalla Vote. Without further ado, we bring you Matt, our Field Organizer in New York:

Well, I’ve heard that any time you start a new job, the first few days are the hardest, but I have a feeling the most challenging tasks are yet to come. That being said, the first few have been no joke. I’ve been spending this week just trying to get my bearings and set up a solid game plan. I’ve gotten my calendar all set up, brainstormed some great event ideas, and spent the last couple days scouring the streets for grocery stores, shisha lounges, and arab-owned businesses. I’ve also just begun to build my spreadsheet of contacts. I had a mixup today where I was supposed to meet with Rami Nuseir, who heads the Mideast Leadership Network, but essentially dropped the ball and spent the morning trying to get recruits instead.
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On May 29, NPR’s All Things Considered considers the keffiyeh in the context of a Dunkin Donuts ad.

Turn up your speakers and listen here.