YALLA VOTE ‘08 Our Voice. Our Future.

Saturday night was the first of two Candidates’ Nights in Florida. It was co-sponsored by the Center for Voter Advocacy, who did an incredible job. Arabs and Muslims from all over south Florida came to the Signature Grand in Davie to hear candidates speak, have dinner, and talk about how to get involved this election.

Yalla Vote Table

At the Yalla Vote table, we provided literature on the Yalla Vote campaign, as well as opportunities for people to sign up to help with future projects, such as making Get Out The Vote phone calls.

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We are here in Michigan and spreading our wisdom about the importance of this election year. On Friday, September 12, 2008, Yalla Vote had a voter registration and information table at the Islamic House of Wisdom. We were there twice in the same day and let me tell you, it was an exciting time. Yalla Vote received tremendous support that day and because we received so much support, we are even going there a second time! Jenin Salam, a Yalla Vote volunteer and I pushed more than ever for signatures on the National Declaration. Both of us pressed until midnight for signatures! “This is our voice and we have to show it by putting our signatures down,” Jenin said. She also expressed interest and encouraged other young people at the mosque to get involved with Yalla Vote. On my part, I registered more people to vote and spoke more about the Yalla Vote initiative.

Again, if you know a mosque or church we haven’t been at in Michigan, contact me via e-mail at aai-Michigan@yallavote.org and let us know! YALLA VOTE!

Last weekend I had the pleasure of taking a state-wide tour to meet with volunteers, activists, NPC, and ALC members. The trip actually began on Thursday, when Maram Abdelhamid met with the Ramallah Club in Jacksonville.

Friday morning, I headed up to Jacksonville, where we met with Dierdre Connor from the Florida Times Union, who was interviewing Yalla Vote for a diversity piece. That piece was featured in the paper on Tuesday. James Bajalia also met us at the newspaper. After lunch, we met up with Robin Rukab-Azzam and Edna Saffy for tea and some discussion. We also met with Adrian Soud, an Arab American running for judge in Jacksonville. From these meetings, we began planning a candidate night for Jacksonville.

In Orlando, we met with Janan Alawar-Smither and attorney Mark NeJame.

And then it was off to Miami! Unfortunately there were no Will Smith videos being shot, but I think I drove everyone nuts saying “Bienvenido a Miami.” We met with Elizabeth Ayoub in Miami Beach. Then we headed up to Broward County to meet with Ammal Elhaddad and Farooq Mitha from the Center for Voter Advocacy. We also met with Darlene Corey and Toufic Zakharia from MEAPA and talked about voter registration strategies. We are also planning a candidate night in Miami.

Florida is chock-full of Arab Americans running for office, in high positions, and activists ready to make a change.

That being said, make sure you’ve signed the National Declaration, and that we have your contact information to find out about the latest with our candidate nights… And keep an eye out at your local Masjid or Church for Yalla Vote voter registration drives. If you are interested in holding a voter registration drive at your local Masjid, Church, or even Arabic grocery store, send me an e-mail at aai-florida@yallavote.org and we’ll work out the details.

So until next time, I’ll be trying to eat all the oranges I bought driving around the state… There’s nothing like a Florida orange!

-Mia

Thursday, July 30^th, I joined members of the National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC) at a conference on civic engagement hosted by ACCESS (Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services). The event introduced the attendees—about 40 leaders of various Arab American organizations from around the country—to the REV campaign (Register Educate Vote). AAI’s own Helen Samhan, Executive Director of the AAI Foundation, spoke about the Yalla Vote campaign and how it fits-in with the Network’s get-out-the-vote plans. After hearing Helen’s explanation of Yalla Vote, some Network members in attendance were so enthusiastic they offered us office space in Ann Arbor, Michigan and a chance to create a new internship position in Texas. Way to go, Helen!

AAI President Dr. James Zogby spoke on July 18, 2008 at the City Club of Cleveland– “U.S. Middle East Policy & the 2008 Elections: A Critical Moment” (click here to hear Dr. Zogby’s speech). Later that day, he met with members of the local Arab American community, including members of C.A.M.E.O., AACCESS-Ohio, and AAI Ohio members. Dr. Zogby encouraged the community to become involved in this year’s election and answered questions about his talk that he did not get to answer earlier at the City Club.

St. George Festival in Toledo

St. George’s Church in Toledo, Ohio held its annual festival that same weekend. Although it rained on and off, hundreds came to experience Middle Eastern culture and socialize. And Yalla Vote was there with a table and volunteers collected signatures for the National Declaration and registered voters.

C.A.M.E.O. Annual Picnic

On July 20 in Cleveland, the Cleveland American Middle Eastern Organization had its annual picnic at German Central Farm, inviting members of the Arab American community and local elected officials and candidates. I, along with a few volunteers, was also present collecting signatures and telling people about the Yalla Vote campaign.

Until next time…Yalla Vote!

-Nadia

Florida in July is hot, and Yalla Vote is heating it up even more this summer! With so many ways to get involved this July, you may need to sit in front of the fan just to read this!

Platform Plank Events

Remember when we said that this was OUR VOICE, and OUR FUTURE? Well, Obama and the GOP are putting that to the test by letting the people get involved in the platform writing process. Want to host an event in Florida? Contact Community Relations and me! There are directions on the AAI website that make it very easy to get involved! Want to take part in an existing event in your city? E-mail me at aai-florida@yallavote.org for the latest Florida information.

Sign the Declaration

Chances are, if you’re reading this you’ve already signed the Declaration, but if not, click here to sign it now! And of course, forward it along!

Register to Vote

Here in Florida, the last day to register to vote in the primary election on August 26^th is July 28^th. You can find all the information about elections at the Florida Division of Elections’ website.

Attend a local party meeting

So you’re already registered to vote, holding or attending a plank event, and you’ve gotten the Declaration around to everyone you know? Do some research on your local Democrat or Republican club and go to a meeting. Be sure to let AAI know, and take pictures!

Some links to local political parties follow below. For the most part they meet once a month, and have other events throughout the month.

Volunteer

If we want to make our voices heard, we can’t do it alone! Volunteers are so important to getting the Yalla Vote message out to the community! Whether you have an hour a week or twenty, there is something you can help with! E-mail me at aai-florida@yallvote.org for more information about volunteering - or if you’re not in Florida, e-mail your local organizer!

However you choose to make your voice heard this election, remember, YALLA VOTE!

-Mia

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The Yalla Vote campaign is truly grateful to all of the sponsoring organizations that endorse it, and lend support. Recently, a Yalla Vote volunteer named Thomas Zraick paid a visit to one of our endorsers, the American Mideast Leadership Network at their Astoria office. The occasion was a pair of workshops for Arab Americans looking for help getting their resumes together, and making some networking connections. A number of the attendees were recent immigrants, and Yalla Vote was there stressing the importance of civic engagement and voting in the upcoming election. The event was very successful, and allowed for some great collaboration between the AMLN and Yalla Vote in building a strong and prosperous Arab American community. It’s always gratifying to see a Yalla Vote representative getting hands on with the community, but it’s even better when it’s one of our volunteers…and it’s EVEN BETTER when it’s a volunteer representing Yalla Vote in conjunction with one of our amazing sponsoring organizations. Bravo all around.

WOW Yalla Vote is in definitely in full swing…

As you may know, we are still in the midst of Arab American Heritage week in NYC which in true Arab fashion actually spans two weeks. For more information about Heritage Week,  visit http://arabheritagenyc.net/

Here’s what Yalla Vote has been up to in New York this past week or so:

1. The week began EARLY…around 7am to be exact, at the CBS early show, where I joined members of NAAP, the Arab American Association of Bay Ridge, and more to promote both Heritage Week and the Yalla Vote Declaration. I managed to weasel my way directly behind the interview taking place so my Shirt and sign were prominently displayed on national TV for a solid chunk of time. Here’s a picture of all of us with

CBS Early Show host Harry Smith

2. I went to promote the Declaration at a screening of Sling Shot Hip Hop at Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens. The event was hosted by ArteEast, and was a huge success. The weather even managed to hold out long enough to allow us as a beautiful evening. The movie itself is remarkable, and if you haven’t already done so, go see it. Now. I gathered signatures, recruited volunteers, schmoozed, and saw a great film with the New York City skyline as the backdrop. Does it get better than that? I submit that it does not.

3. Yalla Vote put on a strong showing at Bay Ridge’s own Arab American Bazaar at in the 79th St. Shore Rd. Park. It was a beautiful day and a bazaar filled with vendors, performances, food, and family fun. I got a great tan from working the Yalla Vote table all day, and also got a lot of positive feedback from the community. We even got some attention from local Congressional candidate Steve Harrison, who was very excited to see the Arab American community encouraging one another to take part in the voting process.

All in all, it’s been an exciting and successful “week,” and it’s far from over. There are more great events on the way, and Yalla Vote will be there front and center! Until next time…

-Matt

Today there was an article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer about Yalla Vote in Cleveland as well as the upcoming C.A.M.E.O (Cleveland American Middle Eastern Organization) annual picnic at which Yalla Vote will have a presence.

Read the full article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer here.

As I had mentioned in an earlier post, I met with the Lakewood Democratic Club a few weeks ago to let them know about Yalla Vote and are initiative to get more Arab Americans involved in the political process. Today I had the opportunity to meet with the Rocky River Republican Club, another suburb of Cleveland that has a high Arab American population. I was given the opportunity to speak to the entire group about the mission of Yalla Vote, the importance of the Arab American vote, and the need for both parties to actively reach out to the Arab American community. Everyone in the group was very receptive and interested in what we’re doing not only in Ohio but throughout the country and very curious about the roles that Arab Americans have played in politics. I even met representatives for a few candidates for local office in Cuyahoga County as well as some of the candidates themselves who came to the meeting to speak to the group. Overall it was a very positive experience and I hope to encourage members of the Cleveland area Arab American community to get involved in both parties this year when it is most important.

Yalla Vote!