"Special Treatment"

Western media’s coverage of Ebola proves disappointing

Look at a map of Africa that’s true-to-size. It’s hard to understand how a huge continent can be mistaken for a country by some. In fact, Africa is comprised of 47 nations; yet in the recent coverage of Ebola, themedia news outlets doesn’t seem to know the difference between the Western African nations where the disease actually hits hardest, and all of the other countries.

Along with the horror the disease has created, the true terror of Ebola lies in the sloppy coverage of the subject which has become the newest form of marginalizing not only people directly from Africa, but also the diaspora across the globe. 

Conversations about the survivors of Ebola here in the States have been reduced to a “They are so brave!” narrative that completely ignores the people of the affected countries who have been doing it for and by themselves with garbage bags as hazmat suits. People of the African diaspora in particular have been “doing it for” and “by themselves” for quite sometime in the face of institutionalized oppression. Consider this a new-age version of “The White man’s burden:” a disease that is curable is now capable of becoming a tool for mass-misinformation, hysteria and pharmaceutical profit.

Bias and discrimination have also shown up as the virus has made its way here. When a couple of Bronx boys get beaten at the schoolyard and their attackers repeatedly call them “Ebola” and “Africa” - a deadly virus has become too closely equated with blackness. When the main focus of the “hero doctors and nurses” narrative skims over the people of color also risking their lives, it reinforces an idea that Western ideology seems to so desperately want to cling to – heroic humanitarian intervention being the necessary ingredient to solving a dangerous situation.

If you really care about the Ebola crisis and of the people afflicted by it, you should also be mindful of the overt and covert ways that racism plays out in every part of life for people in those West African nations - from international affairs, non-profit industrial complexes, and foreign aid - to right here in Harlem and New York City, where jokes are made and people are (re)traumatized.

What’s the solution? We must decentralize not only the way that the mainstream news is broadcast to us, but also how we process these kinds of events, both at home and abroad. Only then can we possibly hope to transform the world we live in for the better. Until then, if you’re simply getting your information from CNN or Fox News, you’ve wasted time learning about how to actually help those in need.

Crew Love: An Ode to the IS Program

Originally written for the City College of New York International Studies Program Blog, www.global-city.org. 

What can I say about the IS Family and SAIS that hasn’t already been said?

Community. At a commuter school situated in the heart of Harlem, NYC : it was very easy for me to be another face in the crowd. Now when you compounded that with the fact that I was a transfer student, I essentially became an island on an island. Sure, I had roommates at the Towers, some of whom I’m still close with and grateful to say so. There were always those fast friends made in classes, but once the semester ended, that was pretty much it (with some exceptions).

Having been fortunate enough to have traveled during my middle school and high school years, (Spain, France and Italy/South Africa/Russia) I knew very early on that a path in the “international” scene was the only way for me to go. Of course, like many people, I got distracted along the way by others who thought they knew what was best for me, or where trying to take me off of my path. Until that fateful day when I rediscovered why I went to CCNY in the first place; for the International Studies Program.

Entering NAC 6/293 in the Spring of 2011, I was redirected to the incoming Program Director, Dr. James Biles, and even as I butchered his last name asking for his signature, I knew I was making the right decision. I finally filled out the major form, and was off to the Registrar in a heartbeat. By the time the Fall semester came around, I started to hang out in the office more and try and get to know people outside of classes, and met the person who started me on my leadership path with SAIS: Jessica Tong. Always welcoming and laughing, she told me about the SAIS Elections and that I should come to get to know people (the funny thing is, I used that line 100s of times afterward to get people to join…it works). Over time, as Jessica and I were on the board, we reached out to others in our IS core classes to get involved as well, and by the time the semester was through, we were a complete e-board over time through Yarilet, Dairanys, and Yani.

The first year of my time with SAIS wasn’t easy. Nobody in the older generations of IS knew me, Student Life didn’t really take our requests seriously, and the campus vibe was that SAIS “just sits around and talks about world politics.” Having conversations with the Diplomat in Residence, Tom Armbruster (now the US Ambassador to the Marshall Islands), organizing Study Abroad info sessions, and attending events just to let people know who where were was critical. This blog, that you’re reading right now, was an initiative during this time to let folks know about the IS Program and SAIS. By the time the Spring 2012 semester came along, we had completed enough ground work to generate interest and be more self sustaining, and Nick and Nazir joined Yarilet and I for the 2012-13 year.

The second year was not easy either, as given our changing reputation and activity, we had a lot of requests and work to manage. Was either year perfect? No.But they taught me how to better handle stressful situations and communicate effectively through trial and error. They taught me how to be vulnerable, and when to say that I needed a break, or needed to grieve the loss of family members. My IS family had, and still has, my back.

In the end of the 2013 academic year, by kicking up or organizing up a notch, utilizing social media, and doing outreach was recognized by Student Life and USG in the form of our first Club of the Year Award. Yarilet, Nick, Nazir and I were a well oiled machine – even if all four parts weren’t visible all the time we did what we needed to do for our roles and as friends.
The best compliments I’ve ever received in my time as a IS major where those who found the same sense of community I was looking for years prior. The pride I feel in saying where I earned my degree comes from those moments, where a simple action of being a genuine person and helping someone, transforms in new generations of leadership and opportunities for friends like Nisha, Yarilet, and Maria D and several others. That means that I did my job, not only as a leader but as a human being, to help others grow and learn in a vibrant community.

My wishes for the IS community/crew/cult are to be there for each other. You never what small action can turn into a lasting impression that inspires something new and exciting for another person. Near or far, no matter what adventures we all go on: as the IS crew embarks on new journeys of personal growth and opportunities. Cheers.

Never Forget - On Islamophobia in a Post 9/11 World

Originally written for Let Your Voice Be Heard Radio! 

September 11th, 2001. Thousands of lives lost in an instant, millions more affected forever. Calls for war eventually became a call for a war at home.As I’ve previously written, we’ve been lulled into a false sense of security when it comes to the “post” “-isms,” we’re supposed to have moved beyond racism, sexism, and classism, and all other social stratification. Yet, thirteen years later, a recent attack reminds me once again that we’ve got a long ways to go.

RELATED:America’s ISIS Strategy
Linda Sarsour is the Executive Director of the Arab American Association of New York. A radical woman, community organizer, and activist – I had heard of her through my own organizing circles while working at the Police Reform Organizing Project. The amount of respect she commands is something I aspire to not only as a woman, but just as a human being. However, a lot of people will not be interested in any of that while news continues to stream images of the Middle East in continued turmoil. When she walks in the streets of New York, people won’t see beyond her beautiful hijab that adorns her crown. Mild disapprovers will shoot a glance, but bolder folks will shoot racial epithets and hateful words at her and others like her across New York City.

Just last week, someone took their prejudice to a whole new level.

Her attacker, a 45-year-old man named Brian Boshell, was drunk and harassing Sarsour and a colleague. When they told him that they would alert the authorities if his harassment continued, his words mutated into physical violence. As the NY Daily News reported, at first, they called to report that he was loitering around their office, located in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. By the time Sarsour had to call a second time, she did so while she and her colleague,  Kayla Santosuosso, were being chased by Boshell. He continued to shout hateful words, throw near by objects at them, and threaten to behead her.

Eventually, cops made it to the scene, and Boshell is rightfully facing charges of aggravated harassment as a hate crime, and some others. Yet – there was another layer of trauma to be had. In this post 9/11 World, the New York City Police Department did not respond to Sarsour’s call until 40-45 minutes later. In those 40-45 minutes, she could have easily been attacked again, or worse. Yet, it seems that a call about an Arab woman being attacked does not warrant the same timely service and speedy protection. At the intersection of being a woman of color and practicing Islam, her cry for help was devalued by a system that is supposed to protect all.

The very same activist community that originally introduced me to her work was outraged. They called for an investigation to the response time, and that the officers be looked into to see if they had any other incidents of delayed responses. The outrage reached NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton, the latter of whom was in agreement that the police did take “inordinate amount of time based on the nature of the complaint.” But what about the people who record moments like this? What about citizens who call for help and never hear a response from officials until it’s entirely too late.

RELATED: Learning from 9/11 Mistakes.

As #neverforget is flooding your news feeds and timelines, I leave you with this. Never forget the lives lost in the attacks on the Twin Towers. Never forget the first responders of this fateful day. Never forget the service men and women who lost their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq. But never forget who is bearing the brunt of all of that hatred. Never forget all of the lives that have been destroyed and upheaved in the Middle East. Never forget the lives of those who face Islamophobia on the daily here in the United States and abroad in other Western nations. Until we can acknowledge that prejudice, and provide tangible remedies beyond more “sensitivity trainings” and installing body cameras – Linda Sarsour – and all of us who are deemed “undesirable” in this institutionally racist system –  will have to continue to look over their shoulders in fear from the state and from their “fellow” Americans. Never forget that we all shouldn’t be living in fear of our lives for simply being who we are.

Sources:

The Guardian

News 12 Brooklyn

NYDN