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Jewish Voice for Peace rekindles commitment to justice during Chanukah


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The last day of Chanukah was celebrated in Providence last night by Jewish Voice for Peace Rhode Island, a group determined to rekindle their commitment to justice. Nine people held signs, made in the form of a menorah, declaring their opposition to Islamophobia and racism, and in support of refugees and #BlackLivesMatter. As the sun set the menorah was lit and people read their signs out loud.

The nine signs read:

  1. We will not be silent about anti-Muslim and racist hate speech and hate crimes;
  2. We condemn state surveillance of the Muslim, Arab, and South Asian communities;
  3. We challenge, through our words and actions, institutionalized racism and state-sanctioned anti-Black violence;
  4. We protest the use of Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism to justify Israel’s repressive policies against Palestinians;
  5. We fight anti-Muslim profiling and racial profiling in all its forms;
  6. We call for an end to racist policing #SayHerName #BlackLivesMatter;
  7. We stand against U.S. policies driven by the “war on terror” that demonize Islam and devalue, target, and kill Muslims; and
  8. We welcome Syrian refugees and stand strong for immigrants’ rights and refugee rights.

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Standing strong against fear and hate in Rhode Island


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Islamophobia and hate crimes against Muslims are on the rise. People perceived to be Muslim have been shot at, assaulted and threatened. Mosques have been the target of hate crimes and arson. One site lists 19 such attacks in the last week. And so hundreds of Rhode Islanders representing many different races and faiths (and no faith) gathered in Kennedy Plaza to reject hate and fear and embrace freedom, peace and human rights.

The rally in Providence was a chance to stand against terror.

Recent events in San Bernardino and Paris have been used by the Republican presidential candidate front runner Donald Trump as a way to foment fear and bigotry. Parallels have been drawn, without irony or exaggeration, to the rise of the Nazis in the 1930s.

At the rally, Imam Farid Ansari quoted German pastor Martin Niemöller, who famously said, “First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Socialist.

2015-12-13 Reclaiming the American Muslim Narrative 008“Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

“Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Jew.

“Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”

Here in Rhode Island, a line against the horrors of the past has been drawn. So on the same day that the far right parties in France were routed by voters turning out in force to clearly reject of the politics of fascism and fear, Rhode Islanders came together to support and defend our Muslim neighbors. Hundreds of people crowded Kennedy Plaza to say, unequivocally:

“Not here and never again.”

To be present at this rally, to watch the children play, to see the people smile and laugh together, to hear one speaker after another call for compassion, reason and courage in the face of the murderous ideologies of ISIS and to call for an end to hate speech was to see Rhode Island at its best.

Our state is the cradle of religious liberty and freedom of conscience, and on this day we honored that legacy.

I can’t recall a time that I have felt more proud of my state.

The event was organized by the Rhode Island Council for Muslim Advancement, (RICMA) the Rhode Island State Council of Churches, the Board of Rabbis of Greater RI, MAE organization for the Homeless, the Refugee Dream Center of RI, PAKPAC, and the Association of Pakistani Physicians of RI (APPRI).

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Mark your calendars for International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers


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On Thursday, December 17, at 6 pm, sex worker and activist Bella Robinson and the Sarah Doyle Women’s Center at 26 Benevolent Street in Providence will commemorate International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. “It’s time to change the social perception that sex workers aren’t people who deserve to live and work with dignity in safe conditions,” says Robinson, Executive Director of COYOTE RI.

coyoteThe event was developed in 2003 following the conviction of Gary Ridgway, a serial killer who admitted to targeting sex workers over multiple years due to the stigma against their profession. In fact he was well-known by the sex worker community but those who could have identified him were afraid to come forward because they feared they might be arrested. “Criminalization and stigma has created the perfect playground for bad cops and predators to continue to rob, rape and murder sex workers with impunity. That needs to stop and we’re holding this vigil to show that sex workers deserve to not only live and work with dignity and in safe conditions but that we need equal protection under the law”, said Robinson

Parties interested in the event can visit the FaceBook page here. As part of our continued coverage of sex worker liberation efforts, we present here part two of an interview with Robinson recorded earlier this summer. As an introductory note, the loophole she refers to at the opening of the discussion refers to when Rhode Island re-criminalized indoor prostitution.

Sex workers interested in joining in the unionizing efforts can contact Madeira Darling at yourprincessmadeira@gmail.com and Bella Robinson at bella@coyoteri.org. Sex worker readers interested in contributing their voices to this continuing project are invited to contact our publication. Conscientious of the challenges facing laborers, we will offer a variety of options to protect contributors. Interested parties can contact Andrew.James.Stewart.Rhode.Island@gmail.com.