Building Mass Membership Based Muslim, Arab, South Asian Community Organizing in the U.S.

In the post 9/11 U.S., Muslim, Arab, and South Asian organizations have emerged to meet the needs of our communities and join social justice movements. As one of the ‘newest’ growing populations of people of color in the U.S., how do our organizational forms need to change to reflect our changing demographics, needs, and social justice future in the U.S.? Though we have built many successful activist, social services, policy advocacy, and legal organizations as well as national coalitions, why are there still little to no mass membership based community organizing groups among MASA communities across the U.S.? What lessons can we learn from hundreds of models of membership-based community organizing among other communities in the U.S.? Why is it necessary that we build more mass based organizing to win social justice? How is the class/migration history of MASA immigrants informing our organizational forms? This session will offer a discussion for MASA groups, a mapping of MASA organizations by type nationally, and a hands-on Community Organizing training including steps implement membership base model in your organization. DRUM organizers from our base- working class, immigrant, Muslim, and women- will lead interactive mapping & training for MASA individuals & organization members using lessons from ten years of our work.