This convening will bring together Black/African American and African immigrant community leaders to explore the overlapping oppressions of systemic racism and Islamophobia in the criminal justice and immigration systems. The first day programming will include community building to develop a cohort of Black Muslim leaders work on rights, strategic brainstorming and skill building. The second day will include participation in the Detroit Anti-Racism Training (DART 2017) with breakout groups aimed at specific skill building and networking within broader racial justice spaces. Together, this special program aims create a space for community developed solutions for supporting movement work in beleaguered and underserved Black Muslim communities.

Goals of the Black Muslim convening are as follows:

1. To share information about the context of criminalization of Black Muslim communities, specifically how Black Muslims are targeted in the criminal justice system, immigration system, and national security system
2. To center experiences and needs of local Black Muslim community organizations and determine best practices to support and provide legal protections for undocumented Muslims and incarcerated and formerly incarcerated Muslims
3. To identify strategies and opportunities for collaborations, capacity building, community resilience

September 15-16, 2017 Detroit, Michigan

In the application, you will be asked to give us some basic information about the primary staff person who will be attending and about your organization. We also ask you to provide some information on why you would like to attend this convening.

The information will be used to determine which groups will be invited to attend this year and how to equitably distribute scholarship funding for travel and accommodations.

Applicants will be invited to attend based on a number of criteria including:

• Work on Mass incarceration, Criminal Justice, Community Safety, Immigrant Rights, or Civil Liberties
• Leaders/organizers attending from geographic regions that are under-resourced
• Work or volunteer in a social change organization
• Constituents engaged
• Issues areas of focus
• Leaders/organizers from affected communities
• Theory of Change
• Reflection of diverse groups

Applications will be accepted until July 30th, 2017 at 11:59 pm PST

Within 2 weeks of the application close date, selected participants will receive invitations. These organizations must confirm their intent to attend and provide detailed information on those who will be attending the convening including travel information and dietary restrictions. Attendees must sign a letter of intent to join. Thanks to our generous funder, Unitarian Universalist Service Community (UUSC), cost for participation is free. We are also able to offer travel and accomodation for a limited number of participants.

There is also an option to indicate how much you or your organization are able to contribute to the cost of the convening. We appreciate your support in helping to bring together as many groups as possible. Participation is required in both parts of the program: the Rights at Risk Convening on September 15, 2017 and Detroit Anti-Racism Training (DART) on September 16th, 2017.