As we reflect on Juneteenth and the ongoing work of building an anti-racist future, we are happy to report another successful Muslim Youth Leadership Summit where we took steps to contribute to that future. On June 8, 2024, we trained over 30 young American Muslims together with Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative (MuslimARC)’s nationally recognized leaders, Margari Hill and Layla Poulos.
For our Muslim Youth Leadership Summit in Spring 2024, CAIR-Philadelphia partnered with MuslimARC for a dynamic one-day workshop designed to empower and equip young leaders with the knowledge, skills, and strategies to dismantle racism and Islamophobia in their communities. Through a comprehensive and interactive approach, participants delved into the complexities of anti-racist work and countering Islamophobia, exploring the systemic roots of these issues and practical ways to enact change.
We took this step with the realization that with all that is going on in the world, including the genocide in Gaza, Islamophobia and racism have been on the rise – for GenZ, particularly, the past year has been their most intense and direct experience with both of these systemic problems. In planning the Summit, our team emphasized that our youth continues to lead movements promoting change, and it’s crucial that they also take the time to get the training they need to be the best leaders possible.
Session 1: Mapping Islamophobia/racism similarities/differences
Session 2: Interpersonal racism: Bystander intervention + bullying prevention
Session 3: Strategies for addressing systemic racism and structural change
Working with such inspiring young people each year continuously gives us so much hope for our future and we look forward to continuing to provide programming and work with them to ensure that they are able to advocate for the future that they want to see. Support our youth programs here: pa.cair.com/donate
