YALLA VOTE ‘08 Our Voice. Our Future.

I’m writing today about two fantastic groups of people to which my Yalla Vote travels have led me. First, I was lucky enough to attend NAAP’s Summer BBQ kickoff hafli in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. NAAP is an incredible organization that brings together Arab American professionals for networking, socializing, and of course, fun. It was approximately 200 degrees the day of the BBQ, but everyone came out in full force, with enough charcoal for both the grills and the numerous argilehs. I was able to get a whole slew of signatures, recruit some volunteers, and engage in some solid political discussion. I remember in particular talking to one man who was very impressed with the Yalla Vote campaign, and echoed the sentiment that the only way for the Arab American community to gain representation from our elected officials is to get out and vote!

One couple I was talking to was made up of a wife who was a citizen, and her husband who had his green card. I approached the wife about the petition, and she was slightly hesitant to sign, but immediately her husband spoke up and said that she had to vote because it is the most important right that citizens of this country possess. In fact, he was envious of her ability to participate in the voting process whereas he could

not. It’s good to know that even the members of the Arab American community who are not eligible to vote understand the seriousness of our project, and are eager to get involved. I’m trying to get my hands on some pictures of the event, but here’s beautiful Prospect Park to but the NAAP event in context for you.

The second event I want to tell you about, was a meeting of Fort Hamilton High School’s Muslim Students.

I attended their end of year meeting, and was blown away by the enthusiasm for Yalla Vote that these kids had. Firstly, they are extremely organized, serious about helping their community, and serious about their faith. All good things. Ironically, I was around on a day when they were doing some self-examination about ways they could remain productive during the summer months. Heh. Little did they know that I had PLENTY of volunteer work to keep them thoroughly occupied. We had pizza, laughed at how bad my Arabic is, and I recruited some wonderful volunteers from the Bay Ridge community. Yet another indicator that there is a large, active, intelligent group of Arab Americans waiting to be tapped in New York. I can feel momentum starting to build. Every connection that I make, contact I add to my growing database, volunteer I recruit, and signature I get is taking our community one step closer to realizing its own hidden strength, and cooperating in a way heretofore unheard of. Game time, baby.

I have a big weekend ahead, dj’ing parties as my non-AAI alias, and then back to Yalla Vote on Sunday for the big New York Outlandish concert at the New Balance Track Center. In fact, I think I have a volunteer or two to join me. Does it get any better? I submit that it does not. If you’re there, find me for T-shirts and buttons and scintillating conversation. You may even end up on the blog with your smiling face next to mine. Til’ then…

-Matt

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Yalla Vote ‘08 Campaign is now in full-swing! AAI has been working with Arab-American students in universities all around the country to encourage them to get involved with the Yalla Vote ‘08 program and become the newest members of our team.

The Yalla Vote campaign seeks to promote inclusion in the democratic process, give voice to Arab American issues by circulating a national petition and encourage bi-partisan voter mobilization.

Here are a few things that you could do to help:

• Put up a table at your events on campus to collect signatures on the National Petition
• Encourage your friends to spread the word about the Yalla Vote ‘08 Campaign
• Register your friends to vote in the November election

Send us your thoughts an ideas so that we can make this years Yalla Vote campaign a great success.

Our April Campus Visibility Month push is drawing to a close, but we hope you will begin to plan another tabling event at your college or university for the fall. This is a great opportunity for Student Endorsing Organizations to show Arab American political pride on campus.

Here are just a few things that you can do to get started to make a difference this election year:

• Tabling to distribute Yalla Vote stickers, posters, buttons,and T-shirts and getting signatures for the national petition

• Getting your friends and students to sign the National Petition

• Talking to other students about the “Our Voice , Our Future Yalla Vote 2008 Campaign”

• Registering your fellow students to Vote

• Wearing a Yalla Vote T-Shirt around campus

AAI would be happy to help any of you arrange any of these events on campus. Please let us know if there is anything that we can do.

Send us your address and we’ll send you Yalla Vote Goodies! Email Brandon Hess at bhess@aaiusa.org

Share your pictures of your Yalla Vote ‘08 Campus Visibility Month events–leave us a comment or email your photos to our Webmaster (web@aaiusa.org)… and don’t forget to visit and join our AAI Facebook Group page!

“Yalla Vote ‘08 Campus Visibility Month” is a project of the Arab American Institute’s Our Voice Our Future Yalla Vote ‘ 08 Campaign

There is only one week left to apply for a paid Field Organizing internship position!

The AAI is looking for a few good full and part-time students, graduate students and recent college graduates. We are looking for individuals who can hit the ground running! Applicants should be highly motivated, flexible and excited about working for the Arab American campaign, “Our Voice, Our Future: Yalla Vote 2008”. Interns must be available to work at least ten weeks for 40 hours per week during summer months, and 20 hours per week from Labor Day through the general elections in November.

The Arab American Institute’s Yalla Vote ‘08 campaign is an effort to bring the issues that matter most
to our community–civil liberties, immigrant rights, Middle East peace and cultural tolerance–to the
forefront of debate for the 2008 election season. Help us make our voices heard this November!

For full details, please visit the AAI’s Student Resource Center and apply today!