We learned and shared a lot tonight at Feeling of Being Watched: A Discussion on Profiling & Surveillance. Here are a few (paraphrased) gems from our guests (Dawud Walid, Khaled Beydoun, Saeed Khan and film producer Assia Boundaoui)! #TakeOnHateWithTruth

This weekend in Chicago, TAKE ON HATE will be participating in a roundtable discussion on Poverty in America at the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) Convention, the country's largest Muslim conference. 

By Amal Rass
TAKE ON HATE Intern

During my summer breaks growing up, I remember huddling around a small television set with my cousins at our grandparents’ home in Syria to watch the Summer Olympics. I cheered for both Team USA and the Syrian Olympic Team, feeling pride for both of my countries. This summer, I had a new team to root for: the Refugee Olympic Team. 

The Refugee Olympic Team consisted of 10 athletes: 10 refugees from four different countries. This was the first time in the 120-year history of the Olympics that refugees were not excluded from the games. One of the athletes that I couldn’t help notice was Yusra Mardini. Yusra, the only Syrian on the Refugee Olympic Team, is an 18-year-old Syrian swimmer currently living in Germany. Her swimming talent made headlines even before her debut at the Olympics. During Yusra’s escape from Syria, she swam for hours to save the sinking lifeboat that was supposed to carry her and the other refugees to safety. My fellow Americans and I were inspired by her incredible stamina and strength. How fitting that the next chapter to her story, and the next time we would hear of her, was at the culmination of her journey, as she emerged an Olympic swimmer.

We want to share the exciting news that Asha Noor, TAKE ON HATE Advocacy and Civic Engagement Specialist, has been nominated for the El-Hibri Foundation’s Young Leader Award!