If the events in Charlottesville this past weekend have you rattled, here are some concrete, positive actions you can take to support inclusivity, local Charlottesville businesses, call out hate, and more. Click below for a comprehensive list!
Importance of Faith Communities during Times of Crisis
A new report from the Woolf Institute, titled “Trust in Crisis,” finds that local communities—especially faith communities and other minority groups—are extremely important in times of crisis. As the report states: “…it is local communities and locally-based volunteer organisations which confront direct and immediate needs in times of crisis. They are more in tune with realities on the ground and are able to plug the gaps left by austerity.” Read the full report at the link below.
United for Manchester
Following the brutal attack in Manchester, England, which killed dozens and injured many more, Muslims in the UK are coming together to raise money for the victims and their families. As the fundraising page states, “We wish to respond to evil with good, as our faith instructs us, and send a powerful message of compassion through action.” Muslims in the US have also launched fundraisers for victims of hate and violence, such as the group that raised money to help repair a desecrated Jewish cemetery.
Read more (Fast Company)
Interfaith Groups Unite against Hate
A new interfaith initiative in southern Florida aims to combat rising hate crimes with community solidarity. The new program, called the Interfaith Rapid Response to Hate, will combat hate and bias crimes in a variety of ways, including removing spray paint, placing ads of solidarity in newspapers, and raising money to repair damages. According to Rabbi Bradd Boxman of Congregation Kol Tikvah in Parkland, Florida, the local interfaith community is already very well-engaged with each other, and this new initiative is designed as a structured and organized response system to reflect community connections that already exist. He says: “This rapid response network is about putting in place the mechanism, that if there is any kind of hate crime, we’re ready to respond… It’s not a matter of who do we need to contact, who’s our neighbors? We’re already united.”
Read more (SunSentinel)
American Muslims: Running for Local Office
Recent studies and surveys have shown that the American Muslim community is a very civically engaged demographic, particularly concerned with issues of social justice. Now, an emerging group of American Muslims has decided to run for office in their local communities. At the link below, read more about some aspiring—and inspiring—American Muslims who ran in local elections in the Chicago area.
Read more (The Atlantic)
