I'll admit: I almost regretted it. You would too if you had to be up at 7AM on a Saturday morning for work.  What was I thinking to schedule a service project so early in the AM?

It wasn't long before my spirits rose - I was greeting by three car fulls of smiling ready-to-work-hard volunteers.  And what a diverse group it was! South Asian, African American, Muslim, Hindu, Christian - all coming together for the common cause of helping those in need.  This was definitely worth the early rising.

Every month, the New Jersey SAALT Circle conducts a community service project - last month, we helped pack lunches and grocery bags for a food pantry.  This month, we worked in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity of Hudson County to assist in the building of two homes in Jersey City.  When we first showed up at the build, the site coordinator was so overwhelmed by how many of us came, he almost turned us away!  But he soon had a change of heart and we were all put to work.  We sanded down walls. We painted ceilings. We primed walls.  We swept away piles of dust and debris (If you're looking to tone those arms, forget the gym - sign up for a habitat build and you'll be in shape in no time!).  There's something so satisfying about working with your hands and actually being able to see the impact of your hard work.  It was a great experience - and although it was most certainly a physically challenging activity, I'm pretty sure that we all came away with a sense of pride and accomplishment.

Thanks to all that dedicated their Saturday to service - we truly appreciated your hard work, and look forward to having you help out in upcoming service projects!



If you'd like to get involved with the New Jersey SAALT Circle, email me at qudsia@saalt.org or call (201) 850-3333.

Please read this op-ed written by members of the National Coalition of South Asian Organizations (Raksha, Narika, Manavi, Maitri) on the recent murder of Reshma James in New Jersey

A Loss of Life, A Community’s Responsibility

As representatives of South Asian community-based organizations working to end violence against women, we are saddened by the recent murder of Reshma James, a 24-year old South Asian woman, just days before Thanksgiving.  The tragic shooting death of Reshma James at the St. Thomas Syrian Orthodox Knanaya Church in Clifton by her estranged husband has stunned the entire South Asian community. In addition to Ms. James, two other individuals were injured, one of whom also died.

This act of violence - the last in a history of abuse perpetrated by Ms. James’ estranged husband - has affected individuals and the justice systems of three states: California (where the abuse occurred); New Jersey (where the murder occurred); and Georgia (where the murderer was apprehended).    

As community members deal with the trauma and grief of this incident, it is important to broaden our lens to understand the epidemic of domestic violence that affects families around the country from all backgrounds.   

The murder of Reshma James is one incident among many that affect South Asians and other women in the United States.  In fact, according to the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV), intimate partner violence claims the lives of three women each day in the U.S., and guns are the weapon of choice.    

Through our direct service and advocacy work with South Asian survivors of violence, we know all too well that domestic violence can affect all families regardless of religion, race, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, age, or immigration status.    Maitri, Manavi, Narika and Raksha are organizations that address domestic violence in the San Francisco Bay Area, New Jersey and Atlanta.  Collectively our agencies receive over 4,000 calls annually from women seeking legal and health assistance, social services, basic information about their rights, and referrals.  

Yet, the messages that we often hear from within the South Asian community are the same: that domestic violence does not happen in our community; that it does not happen within educated families; and that it is not an important issue for an entire community to address.   From non-South Asians, we often hear that domestic violence must somehow be unique to South Asian communities, given our customs, beliefs, and familial relationships, or that it does not occur based on false stereotypes they have about South Asians.

Women are battered in every culture, and the common factor is the social sanction of violence against women, across cultures. Our collective work as a society then is to build safe communities where everyone can live free of fear.   We must bear the collective responsibility of keeping everyone safe.  And that work cannot be done in isolation, by a few community based organizations such as ours. It has to be done by all of us, working together.   

We ask you to support the work of ending violence against women and children in our communities.   We ask that you listen to and empower survivors in your community.  We ask that you look at legislation that compromises survivor safety and speak out against it and to advocate for laws and policies that protect survivors and provide them with linguistic and cultural access to the justice system, law enforcement, and shelters.

 The entire community must be prepared to speak out against violence and address it in our homes, places of worship, cultural centers, and social service organizations.  We ask you to reach out to someone who needs your support.  Only as a community can we prevent the murders of women like Reshma James. 

Maitri, Manavi, Narika, Raksha – community-based organizations working to end violence against South Asian women – are all members of the National Coalition of South Asian Organizations.  

Aparna Bhattacharyya, Raksha (Atlanta)       1.866.725.7423          www.raksha.org

Atashi Chakravarty, Narika (Bay Area)         1.800.215.7308           www.narika.org

Maneesha Kelkar, Manavi    (New Jersey)     732. 435.1414             www.manavi.org

Sarah Khan, Maitri               (Bay Area)         1.800.799.SAFE         www.maitri.org

Beautiful poem written by Maya, a budding SAALT member from Maryland.








Human-Kind

Together, we’re one,
Together, we belong;

But apart,
Divided,
Discriminated and racist,
Proud and vain;

We lose who we are,
We lose the soul within;

We destroy the foundation,
Set by a larger force;

We contradict the natural rhythm,
The heartbeat of millions;

Beneath, above, surrounding us,
Helping us,
Leading us back to the true way we were meant to be;

But still we ignore,
Set in our ways;

If only we could fix ourselves,
Then the world would be right;

But then,
We cannot.

Can we?

Have you thought about buying a home? Do you know what home equity is? Are you wondering what your credit score is? I have to confess that I know very little about the process of buying a home and have been intimidated by it because all that I heard from family members and friends was about how stressful it was!

Fortunately, when I was in Queens, NY last week, I was lucky enough to participate in workshop presented by Chhaya CDC called "The Road to Homeownership: Your Rights, Risks, and Rewards." This very empowering and accessible workshop demystified what it means to buy a home and how you go about doing it. Right then and there, my questions were answered and the process was broken down for me. This workshop is a part of a series that covers various related topics such as whether homeownership is right for you, financial and credit basics, analyzing whether you can afford a mortgage, and how to avoid predatory lenders. These workshops are particularly timely, given the recent foreclosure crisis that has affected many Americans and has brought up questions about how exactly the homebuying process works in the U.S. If you're in the New York City area and interested in attending one of these workshops, visit Chhaya CDC's website or email them at info@chhayacdc.org.

Chhaya CDC is an organization based in Queens that addresses and advocates for the housing and community development needs of South Asian Americans in New York City. They provide individualized homeownership and financial counseling, work on tenants' rights issues, and engage in community outreach on housing and community development issues. They also develop "know your rights" brochures for the community, including factsheet on how to avoid foreclosure rescue scams (available in English and Bangla).

You may be surprised to learn that nearly 200,000 South Asians reside in the state of New Jersey.  SAALT's New Jersey Community Empowerment Project developed from a series of meetings in 2004 with South Asian organizations in New Jersey, allies, and concerned South Asian individuals.  Through these dialogues, it became clear that South Asian communities in New Jersey are underserved and largely voiceless in policy debates. To learn more about the New Jersey Community Empowerment Project, or to read our report highlighting key issues affecting the South Asian community in New Jersey, "A Community of Contrasts: South Asians in New Jersey," please check out SAALT's local initiatives page.

In response to recent bias-crimes targeted towards the South Asian community in New Jersey, SAALT, along with several South Asian community partners - Manavi; South Asian Mental Health Awareness in Jersey (SAMHAJ); the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ); UNITED SIKHS; and the Sikh Coalition issued a joint statement condemning all bias crimes.  Read the statement below:

"We come together, as organizations serving South Asian communities here in New Jersey, to denounce the recent hate crimes and bias incidents that have taken place in our state.  The South Asian community in New Jersey, with a growing population of 200,000, has long confronted bias and discrimination, beginning in the 1980's with the attacks perpetrated by the 'Dotbusters' and the post-9/11 backlash.  In addition, our organizations - Manavi; the Sikh Coalition; the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ); South Asian Mental Health Awareness in Jersey (SAMHAJ); and UNITED SIKHS - have observed a rise in New Jersey, which we believe has fostered an environment where bias incidents and hate crimes can occur.

Today, we stand in solidarity not only with the Grewal family - victims of a cross-burning outside their home; Mr. Ajit Singh Chima - an elderly Sikh man who, on October 30th, in Wayne, New Jersey, was violently punched and kicked in the face several times by an unidentified man, and as a result suffered several fractures around his eyes and jaw; Gangadeep Singh - a fifth grade student who, on October 8th, was attacked in Carteret, New Jersey while walking home from school by an unidentified masked assailant that threw him on the ground and cut off his hair - but with all survivors of bias and hate crimes.

We stand together now because we must say no to any act of bias and intolerance when it happens.  We stand together to ask our elected officials and law enforcement agencies to protect survivors of hate crimes and to join us in condemning them.  As a vibrant segment of New Jersey's neighborhoods, schools, businesses, and non-profit sectors, South Asians raise our voices to call for justice and equality for all."


Please join us for a march and rally in support of the Grewal family on Saturday, November 15th at 3PM in Hardwick, New Jersey.  The 'Unity for the Community' March will start at the Municipal Building and end at the Grewal residence with a rally. 

A week after the elections, many in the South Asian community are looking forward to a new Administration and Congress that will hopefully bring forth positive changes concerning civil rights. The elections, however, are bittersweet for many South Asians who are also grappling with disappointment of Proposition 8's passage in California. This ballot initiative amends the state's Constitution to ban marriage between same-sex partners. Its passage is especially significant given that it followed a California Supreme Court ruling in The Marriage Cases that recognized same-sex couples' right to marry.

The passage of Proposition 8 replays a shameful chapter in our country's history regarding inequality in marriage. During the first half of the twentieth century, anti-miscegenation laws prohibited many immigrants and individuals of color, including Punjabi farmers in California's Imperial Valley, from marrying Caucasians. It wasn't until the landmark Supreme Court case of Loving v. Virginia in 1967 that all race-based legal restrictions on marriage were declared unconstitutional. With this history in mind, over 60 Asian-American organizations joined legal briefs supporting marriage equality in The Marriage Cases in California in 2007.

Marriage equality, along with other issues affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ) individuals, is often silenced and ignored in the South Asian community. Advocates and community members in California worked tirelessly to raise awareness about equality among South Asians. For example, Trikone-SF developed posters, distributed in collaboration with Satrang, featuring South Asians opposing Proposition 8. South Asian Network (SAN) spoke at a press conference expressing concerns about the initiative. SAN and Satrang also coordinated a march in Artesia's "Little India." The struggle for equality continues with rallies against Proposition 8 continuing after Election Day and lawsuits filed against the initiative for violating the Constitution.

If you want to learn more about the range of issues affecting the South Asian LGBTIQ community, check out SAN and Satrang's groundbreaking needs assessment report, No More Denial, and the LGBTIQ section of A National Action Agenda: Policy Recommendations to Empower South Asian Communities.

On November 4th, I served as the site supervisor at Lakelands Park Middle School in Gaithersburg, MD to conduct an Asian American Voter Survey and monitor and report any voter incidents. Our experience was amazing in that most of the Asian American voters we approached were more than happy to fill out our survey and even more enthusiastic once we told them what it was for. It was on this day that I realized the importance of collecting this data and getting a sense of the needs, challenges, and priorities of our community.

There is one incident that sticks out in my mind from that day. There was a woman who I saw vote earlier in the day come back to our polling site in the afternoon with a camera. She asked us to take her picture near the "Vote Here" sign, near our "Asian American Voter Sign", and even a picture with us! Her emotion and excitement were visible as she told us how she wanted to document this historic day for her children. As the day unfolded, we saw voters turn out in record numbers and in a very real way, it struck me how important this day was. People came out to vote despite the long lines, cold weather, and rain. They brought their kids, their parents, their pets, their cameras, and their excitement. I am thankful that I had the opportunity to witness such an occasion.

Check back on the SAALT website for updated information about the voting trends of the South Asian community!

I hope that you were voting and making your voice heard. Around the country, volunteers from SAALT and other organizations from the Asian American community were at poll sites, protecting the vote and learning more about the voting choices and barriers faced by Asians. It was my first time being an election monitor and I was assigned to a poll site in Silver Spring, MD (which is in the suburbs of Washington, DC). It was an amazing experience on a number of levels. First and foremost, it was very powerful to see so many people after they had exercised their right to vote. It was the culmination of a long, and sometimes emotional, election cycle and you could feel the excitement in the air.

I saw a lot of people with smiles on their faces. Another notable trend was families coming in to vote together in which the children were voting for the first time. As they filled out surveys, I could see the pride in the parents' eyes. I moved to the United States when I was twelve years old. My family had previously lived in Saudi Arabia, which was an interesting experience all around, but there was a palpable difference when we came to America. This was a place where people settled, not just a place to pass through. It was not immediate, but America became home. And when I became a citizen in 2006, I was old enough to have really chosen become an "American". I knew when I said that oath in the courthouse in Chicago that, in a fundamental way, my place in the world had shifted.

Even though I had the opportunity to vote in the 2006 midterm elections, I was beside myself with excitement about voting in my first presidential elections: to be making this huge, meaningful choice along with my fellow Americans (a decision that I knew from personal experience reverberated well beyond the US) was something I had looked forward to for a very long time. In my family there are American citizens, permanent residents, H1-B and student visa-holders and Bangladeshi citizens. I voted absentee in the District of Columbia, so it wasn't the whole Election Day experience, but when I stood in my little voting booth, I felt my whole family there with me and I did my best to make sure my vote reflected that.

I don't know if it is the same for other immigrants and children of immigrants, but the very act of voting felt like some small but vital portion of my parents' dreams and my dreams becoming a reality. Being an election monitor and seeing people of all races and ethnicities, of different ages and socioeconomic statuses seemed a quiet and powerful affirmation of American democracy at work. On a very practical level, being there to help document any problems or issues with voting helped me contribute to a better understanding of Asian Americans as a voting population. This information not only helps us understand our community better, it informs policymakers and politicians about the issues that matter to us. I know that I will remember November 4th, 2008 for the rest of my life and I hope that the work that I and all the other election monitors can make a similar impact on our community's future.

We're going to put up some more posts about people's experiences with election monitoring so keep a look out for them.

It's almost here! Election Day! After a rather long primary season, this election is coming to close in the most exciting way possible. Voter turnout is expected to be quite impressive and if early voting is any indication Americans around the country are excited (and commmitted, with early voting locations in some states having wait times in excess of SIX hours) about having their say this election. So for everyone getting ready to vote on Election Day, make sure that the ID requirements in your state don't keep you from casting a ballot. Lookup your state's ID requirement on www.866ourvote.org.

Also, while you're waiting online, document the vote, take pictures or video of how voting looks in your community. If you have any interesting stories to share about first time voters or the excitement in your family or circle of friends about voting, we want to hear about it. Are you voting, getting out the vote, or monitoring at the polls on Election Day? Bring a camera or videocamera with you to document pictures and stories of South Asian voters. Send pictures, video, written reflections, quotes and more to saalt@saalt.org by Wednesday, November 5th at 5PM!

Here's an interesting PSA I found that really underscores how meaningful the vote is, it may take a couple of hours (so I suggest bringing a book... and maybe a folding chair) but going out and voting remains significant long after Election Day.

This is a really great video that outlines how important it is to make sure that your vote counts on Election Day. There may not be enough voting machines, your name might not be in the voter rolls, you may get asked for ID you don't have to vote. So its very important that you know what your rights are, it can be the difference between having your say on Election Day or not.



Moreover, by knowing what voters have a right to expect, you can make sure that those around you, voting at your polling place, voters from your community and more! Voters can confront a number of problems at the polls, from poll workers who are not knowledgeable about the rules to difficulties with language and English ballots to unfair treatment based on race or ethnicity. Remember:

-Check your state's voter ID laws to make sure that you have the proper identification to vote
-If you or anyone you know needs help interpreting the ballot, it is your legal right to bring an interpreter into the booth with you
-If your name is missing from the rolls, you have a right to vote using a provisional ballot
     Want to learn more about your rights on Election Day, check out this SAALT resource

If you encounter or witness any barriers to the right to vote, call 1-866-OUR-VOTE.