YALLA VOTE ‘08 Our Voice. Our Future.

There are many great cities in these United States, each with their own history, culture, and local traditions. However, Brooklyn stands alone with a truly unique ethos, at once commanding respect, admiration, and nostalgia- and for a past or president resident- a knowing grin.

Brooklyn, New York, the county of Kings, was the backdrop for Yalla Vote’s most recent candidates night. Widdi Hall played host to a multitude of candidates, who rolled up their sleeves and approached the Brooklyn Arab American political community in hopes of gaining their vote. The hall was packed with community leaders, business owners, excited youth, senior citizens, Christians, Muslims, domestic press, foreign press, and yours truly. In the spirit of cooperation between AAI and our vital sponsoring organizations, the evening was hosted by Sarab Al-Jijakli, from NAAP, and AAI’s own Maram Abdelhamid. In fact, Dr. Jim Zogby himself made the trip to Brooklyn, and reminisced about the days when Brooklyn was the epicenter of the American Arab American community, a precursor to modern hubs such as Dearborn. Dr. Zogby delivered an inspiring address to the attendees, and left no room for doubt regarding the potential of this community to be a driving politcal force.

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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

Matt Ellias, the New York Field Organizer for Yalla Vote, enjoyed some attention last week, as reporter Sharmila Devi spent the day shadowing him for an article in the National, a spectacular new(ish) newspaper out of Abu Dhabi, UAE. The article is called, “Campaign Urges Arabs to Vote” and is well worth the read. Here’s Matt’s take on the experience:

Correspondant Sharmila Devi interviewed me about the campaign, and shadowed me around Queens a bit to get a firsthand view of the work I am doing on the street. The interview was conducted at the office of the American Mideast Leadership Network on Steinway Street in Queens, which allowed AMLN President, Rami Nuseir, an opportunity to weigh in both on Yalla Vote and on the political status of Arab Americans. In addition to Rami and myself, Dr. Ghassan Elcheikhali, principal of the Razi school in Queens stopped by to lend his insight as a leader in the Arab American community. We had a very productive interview at the AMLN office, then made our way to a local coffee shop for a more informal discussion, and ended the day with a quick tour of Steinway, and a glimpse of your New York Field organizer in action. Please take a moment to read the article, if you haven’t already had an opportinity.

One famous Arab American- DJ Khaled said it best. “We takin’ ovaa…”

America’s Second Favorite Arab American DJ/ New York’s favorite Field Organizer,

-Matt Ellias

At last week’s Outlandish concert, I had the pleasure of meeting Sarah Malaika, who hosts Radio Tahrir on 99.5 FM WBAI in New York at 7:00PM on Tuesdays. She invited me to be a guest on her program, discuss the Arab American Institute, the Yalla Vote campaign, and my thoughts on Arab American political empowerment as a whole. The interview went very well, and I got the opportunity to spread the petition to the masses via the airwaves. Today WBAI, tomorrow CNN.

The experience was very exciting, and really got me thinking about the importance of involving our community in the media. Too often we are misrepresented or underrepresented, and it is long past time for the articulate voices of our community to speak for themselves. Sure, we are encouraging Arab Americans to use their figurative voice through voting, but it is also of the utmost importance that we use our literal voices to speak up for ourselves in the media. When we fail to do so, the job is left to false interlocutors who do little but create misconceptions about our community and perpetuate hostility and stereotypes. I mean come on, if there were more silky smooth voices like mine representing the Arab American community in the mass media, surely we would be better able to represent our issues, our concerns, and our cultures. Incidentally, I’m just kidding about my silky smooth voice. It’s more like velvet.

Signing off,
Matt Ellias

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

Matt Ellias is the Field Organizer for the New York City branch of the Arab American Institute’s “Yalla Vote” Campaign. Matt is honored and excited to be working for an organization led by James Zogby, who has been such an inspiration to politically interested members of the Arab American community. Matt is a political creature by nature, feels a special connection to his community, and is looking forward to becoming a more active member of both the Arab American community, as well as the community of politically active Americans at large. In the pluralist political system that governs these United States, Matt is excited to be an active participant, for it is in large part the political process itself that makes this country great.

Matt was immersed in the Arab American community from birth due to his father’s vocation as an Antiochian Orthodox Priest, and has had the honor of knowing some truly great Arab Americans from the various church communities he has been a part of and has been connected to. Matt has seen the strength and efficacy of tightly knit Arab American communities working in concert with one another, and hopes to break down the superficial barriers that divide segments of the Arab American population to allow the Arab American community at large to control its own destiny through voting. Matt brings enthusiasm, creativity, and relentless hustle to the “Yalla Vote” campaign, and is proud to be a representative of the Arab American Institute.

He can be reached at aai-newyork@yallavote.org

Read about Matt’s experience and thoughts in his own words:

“I am sitting at the desk of one of my new offices, (that’s right, I have two…eat your heart out other interns) writing my first of many blog entries for AAI this summer. More on my first day in my next post, but first- some reflections on the amazing experience that was training at the AAI Washington DC office.

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