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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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

National Field and Political Coordinator Maram Abdelhamid has been traveling lately. This past weekend took her to Florida, where Dierdre Connor of the Florida-Times Union caught up with her. “Arab Americans Get out the Vote” is a nice piece, with some good facts about Arab Americans in Jacksonville.

How are you planning to get out the vote in your community?

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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With all the media attention on Obama and McCain, sometimes we forget that voting means more than just selecting our next Commander in Chief. In the American three branch system, who we elect to the legislature is just as important as the executive and judicial branches. They all have to work together to make changes. Moreover, for many Americans, your local representatives have just as much of an impact on their lives as those at the top.

Although the Presidential Preference Primary in Florida has passed, there are still other candidates to choose in many Congressional Districts throughout the state. In the eighth district, there are seven candidates: five democrats and two republicans. Many other districts throughout the state also need to decide who their candidates for the General Election will be.

If you are not registered to vote in Florida, or you would like to change your party affiliation to vote in the Primary Election, the deadline to do so is July 28. The Primary Election will be held on August 26, 2008.

Between now and then, I recommend checking out the Florida Division of Elections’ website to check out the candidates in your area. And remember, this is OUR voice, OUR future.

-Mia

On Saturday Night, June 28th, the Moroccan Congress of USA held their “Unite Tonight” for Obama event at Shiraz Grill in Orlando. The event was spearheaded by Jamila “Mimi” Chami, who is the director of the Moroccan Congress in Florida.

There was great Iranian food, live music, and of course, sheesha. The Moroccan Congress event at Shiraz was a great time to talk to the community about their political interests and get them to sign the National Declaration.

If you’re interested in finding out more about the Moroccan Congress, click here to visit their website. Or, send me an e-mail and I’ll get you hooked up with the right people (after recruiting you as a volunteer of course :)).

And, for those of you who are SO sad that you missed this event, don’t worry… I’ll be having a meet and greet event on July 19th. Details to come soon! Yalla VOTE!!

P.S…. Let’s hear from the REPUBLICAN side of the aisle soon, ok? If you’re a Republican organizing in Florida, I’d love to hear from you and help you get out the vote!

-Mia

At least in Orlando…

Hours and hours of internet research, driving around, and talking with Arab Americans in the community have led me to produce “THE MAP.” THE MAP features Arab American businesses, Mosques, Churches, Halal grocery stores, and Hookah spots. As you can see from the image below, we’re EVERYWHERE!

And thus continues the daunting task of visiting them all, and finding more along the way.

-Mia

No, Outlandish isn’t relocating the states. The presence of the Danish trio, however, has gone from dream to reality in six U.S. cities thanks to MAS (Muslim American Society) “Youth for Change”.

MAS Youth organized a six city tour called “Voices for Change” for the Muslim hip hop group. Tampa, Florida was the first stop on the tour, and I had the opportunity to attend. The concert was held at the Sun Dome at the University of South Florida.

The opening acts for the show were hand selected by MAS, and included groups that addressed social issues and moral living. One of the groups that opened was D-Clique, a Muslim-American rap duo from Tampa. The other was Raef Band, a more rock ‘n roll style band from Germantown, Maryland.

Raef will be opening for Outlandish at all of the other shows on the tour. Each city also has it’s own local talent opening. The best news is, AAI’s Yalla Vote teams will have tables at the events in Michigan and California, so if you go to one of the concerts, please stop by, say hello, get some bumper stickers and buttons, and sign the petition.

If you live in Tampa or Chicago, you’ve already missed it. But, Outlandish will be performing in four more cities this month. They include Detroit, New York, Los Angeles, and Dallas.

In addition to hearing some great music from progressive artists, I had the opportunity to talk with MAS organizers and representatives about Yalla Vote during the intermission, and I look forward to building a relationship with the Muslim American Society of Tampa.