Hi John,
Last Friday was the official UN International Day to Combat Islamophobia. So I shared a personal story I have never told before.
A story of how my family left America after 9/11 due to hate. And how I worry that hate is now becoming an epidemic.
My parents had always felt welcome in the US. But after 9/11, their place of hope adopted a culture of fear.
Fox News made them feel unwelcome as “the other.” The Patriot Act made them feel like second-class citizens. And increasing Islamophobic incidents terrified them. What if we were next?
So when my parents told me at age 15 that they planned to move our family back to their homeland, a place I’d never lived in, the feeling I had was... relief. And while the hate appeared to subside over time and my family returned to the Bay Area, 20 years later, it feels like déjà vu.
We are seeing a rise in hate crimes of all types, from Islamophobia to anti-Semitism, anti-Asian and anti-Black crimes — and it’s happening in San Francisco. Now, more than ever, it’s imperative we come together to solve these crises as a unified community.
Read my full op ed here.
|
|
Supporting our Seniors in Japantown
Earlier this week, I spent the morning with the Japantown Task Force at their coffee hour for seniors.
Our conversations during coffee hour made one thing clear: With over 20% of Japantown being over the age of 80, we need more services supporting our seniors to ensure our community’s longevity.
The Task Force hosts their weekly coffee hour with seniors every Tuesday at 9AM at the Japantown Cultural District Visitor Center - be sure to stop by!
|
|
Sincerely,
Bilal Mahmood
|
|
|
|
|
