Asma Elhuni
Asma Elhuni is a Lead Organizer for Race Forward’s Honest Education, Action & Leadership (H.E.A.L.) Together initiative. She helped launch the initiative where states across the country organize to protect, promote, strengthen, and transform public education. Supported by a career rooted in organizing around issues of immigrant rights, racial justice, economic justice, educational justice, Palestinian liberation, and fighting xenophobia, Islamophobia, and state-sanctioned violence.
Before joining Race Forward, Asma served as the Movement Politics Director for Rights and Democracy (RAD) in New Hampshire. During this time, she organized with movement champion elected officials, helped impacted communities have access to the decision-making tables, and conducted training and political education on a variety of topics. Locally, Asma is also an organizer with American Muslims for Palestine NJ.
A proud Muslim and African-Arab immigrant born in Libya, Asma lifts up anti-colonial spiritual practices that require radical love and collaboration to get to collective liberation.
Presentations from Facing Race 2024
Fighting Anti-Palestinian Racism: A guide for Advancing Equity and Transforming institutions of Education and Government
Anti-Palestinian racism is at an all time high but many can not recognize it when they see it. Learn the ways that Anti-Palestinian Racism manifests in our institutions and is normalized structurally between institutions impacting not only Palestinians, but also Arabs, Muslims, and others. In order to effectively dismantle racism, it’s important to recognize it, but then work towards intentionally dismantling it. This breakout session will go over roots in Islamophobia and the unique ways anti-Palestinian racism manifests and what people in Government (including all institutions) and in the public can work together to dismantle it. Learn lessons from local organizers in NJ who are organizing to build power for inclusive communities for everyone.
Speakers: Wassim Kanaan, Dr. Maha Hilal, Asma ElhuniMovement-building Through the Public School Strong Model: Lessons Learned and How You Plug In
Public school systems across the country have long been a battlefield for competing visions of society. Recent attacks on Critical Race Theory (CRT) and LGBTQ+ people in schools are part of a well-funded, long-term effort to discredit, dismantle and privatize public education and with it, the very notion of public goods. Extremists and their wealthy backers want to destroy public schools because, if they are thriving and equitable, this challenges white supremacy and elite power.
Public School Strong (PSS) is a national campaign that builds power starting locally, so that every student – regardless of zip code, race, gender, or ethnicity – can have equitable access to quality, fully funded public schools. Initially developed by HEAL Together North Carolina in the spring of 2023, PSS has expanded to have participants from all 50 states and statewide organizing committees in more than a dozen states. This interactive session is designed for individuals, grassroots groups and allied organizations to explore this model and how to plug in.
Speakers: Ana Mercado, Asma Elhuni, Tony Arias SortoPresentations from Facing Race 2016
The War on Terror, 15 Years Later
Muslim, Arab, Sikh and South Asian communities continue to face the consequences of the policies and actions taken after the attacks of September 11, 2001. In 2016, the year we marked the 15 year anniversary of 9/11, reports of hate violence, workplace discrimination and school bullying spiked around the nation. Surveillance and counterterrorism policies are placing communities in danger and setting the tone for a national climate of suspicion and fear. How are communities responding? Where do we go from here? How must broader racial justice movements include and incorporate issues confronting our communities? Our panelists - Kalia Abiade (Center for New Community), Azadeh Shahshahani (Project South), Arjun Sethi (The Sikh Coalition), and Deepa Iyer (The Center for Social Inclusion) - provide analyses and best practices.
Speakers: Deepa Iyer, Kalia Abiade, Arjun Sethi, Asma Elhuni