Yemeni-American community rallies against racism

The Lackawanna, N.Y., Yemeni community and supporters protested March 12 against a Lackawanna School Board member who is also a police dispatcher who reportedly posted anti-Arab, profanity-laced comments on his Facebook page. A strong outcry from the community forced his resignation from the school board. Muslim community leaders, however, noted that there is a pattern to these types of incidents of anti-Muslim bigotry and that this is by no means the end of community efforts to stop them.

One of those leaders said, “We trace our lineage in Lackawanna over 100 years now. How long do we have to be here before we’re recognized as stakeholders in this community?” (Buffalo News, March 12) The community is adjacent to what was the Bethlehem Steel Complex, which closed many years ago. Thousands of Arab workers toiled there for decades and lived in established communities surrounding the steel complex. A smaller community remains and has been the constant target of Homeland Security surveillance and harassment.

Community activists from nearby Buffalo attended the rally to stand in solidarity with their Yemeni sisters and brothers against all forms of bigotry and harassment.