The Georgia Muslim community have collaborated and worked together to express love, solidarity, and commitment to the entire African-American community, after the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer.
Publicly acknowledging the sharp, enduring pain of the fellow Americans, they joined the fight against systemic oppression and structured racism.
During the past week, Muslim community leaders, imams, and organizers came up with a few primary strategies against racism including:
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- Develop deep, meaningful personal relationships with our Black neighbors and colleagues.
- Listen to, learn from, and follow the lead of Black-led community organizations, and offer our spaces and resources to uplift and center Black voices of justice. Invest our money, expertise, time, and energy in their causes. For example, the Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative and Muslim Wellness Foundation.
- Invest in spiritual community development programs led by and for Black Muslims with human and financial resources through established local organizations, such as:
- Publish public statements of support and solidarity with the Black community and families deeply impacted by police violence.
- Participate and amplify various actions condemning anti-Blackness and police brutality, including participation in the Day of Solidarity on Friday, June 5th, 2020 by delivering khutbas/sermons on the subject of anti-Black racism.
- Address anti-Blackness as a priority through ongoing political education and allyship, including: anti-racism training for organization/masjid leadership and larger communities, in-depth education on the history of Black Muslims and Black struggles in the United States, and community conversations on race and class.
- Renew efforts and be more intentional about Black representation in leadership roles within our organizations.
- Shut down any anti-Black rhetoric within our circles, and commit to educating our own peers, families, and leaders.
- Work towards reducing the need to hire local law enforcement to patrol outside Friday Prayers and Sunday School programs and instead follow the lead of Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam by hiring private security from within and/or training our own community members to protect our communities and our neighborhoods.
Organizations Committed to Work
During Ramadan 2020 IMAN Atlanta began The Hood Initiative, which provides fresh produce and hot meals to its fellow West Atlanta Community.
As a result of the impact of COVID-19, the community that welcomed IMAN in their neighborhood was affected by job loss and food insecurity disproportionately.
IMAN was able to distribute well over 10k pounds of fresh produce from support of Hosea Helps and serve hundreds hot meals from partnership with Springreens (Community Cafe).
In an effort to fight back against systemic economic oppression, IMAN is collectively committed to providing 5000 pounds of fresh produce weekly to Atlanta families on the westside.
“Fresh Market” will be open every Wednesday at 4pm at the Green ReEntry Village located at 2139 MLK Jr. Dr., Atlanta, Ga. 30310.
