Sa'ed Atshan is a Palestinian Quaker and an assistant professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at Swarthmore College. He had been invited to speak to Friends Central Upper School students on February 3rd. But Sa’ed’s talk was cancelled.

By Gabriela Flora and Jordan Garcia

This Valentine's Day, AFSC is delivering over a thousand Valentine's Day cards made by Denver area community members—volunteers, school children, faith groups, book clubs, and individuals—to people detained at the for-profit GEO immigration detention center. We've done this every February for the past eight years.

This year, the task was larger because GEO has nearly tripled the number of people they detain—mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, and others who are part of our communities.

This Thursday, President Donald Trump signed three new executive orders – signaling a further commitment to the failed “law and order” policies he highlighted in his campaign. This follows his executive orders on immigration, which dramatically expanded the number of ICE and border patrol agents, as well as mandatory detention and police-ICE collusion. Organizations across the country are already mobilizing against these policies. Here’s what we’re reading to learn more.

A bill to declare the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization has now been introduced in Congress. It is important to note that this is an exceptional move. If this bill passes and the Muslim Brotherhood is declared a terrorist organization, that determination will be a political act, not an act based on the advice, review, and findings of the U.S. officials responsible for making these decisions within the State Department and Security Services.

Bilal Khan is a current undergrad at Rutgers University studying Finance. He started off doing social change work with a chapter of Young Muslims in Trenton, NJ. Through the organization he was able to grow his roots into his religion, Islam, and simultaneously help others through his work and actions. He encourages everyone to speak out against injustice and rejoice as Americans.

This was one of three poems shared at the March for Humanity: #Sanctuary Everywhere on Feb. 4th, 2017 in Philadelphia. Bilal shared this poem then led others in prayers at 3 pm while marchers encircled them in sanctuary during the protest.

Have you ever seen such unity 

This was one reading among many at the rally before the March for Humanity - #SanctuaryEverywhere in Philadelphia on Feb. 4th, 2017 against the Muslim ban and recent immigration decisions. 

Will you harbor me? Will you keep me safe?

Will you shelter me as the gales of injustice pelt me with abuse?

Will you be for me a temple, holding me sacred, seeing that I hold God?

When the police stop me at a traffic light, will you take the gun from his hand?

When ICE agents come for me in the middle of the night, will you block the door?

It was one of those days, it was one of those days where the sunshine blew air kisses onto the river and it gleamed

My mother and I sitting on the edge of its sandy horizon where dirt splits water and grass like the prophet Moses

My mother’s hijab hugs her head the same way she cradles me and my sister

We stare into the river only ever daring to make eye contact through water

I watch her image the same way I do executions

She pulls the pin from her hijab, stabs it into the dirt, trying to find some way to hurt this land back