KGIA Supporters Call for Investigation
September 30, 2007– We, the undersigned, who stand together in support of the Khalil Gibran International Academy and its founding principal, Debbie Almontaser, call upon the New York City Council to immediately establish a committee or task force to investigate the sequence of events leading up to Ms Almontaser’s resignation from her position and to make public the results of this investigation.
“We call upon the Council to investigate Ms. Almontaser’s resignation.”
Widely recognized as a talented and visionary educator with an impeccable record, Ms Almontaser is highly qualified to serve as KGIA’s educational leader. She has worked tirelessly for the past few years to develop the vision, program, and curricula of the Khalil Gibran International Academy. Her resignation, which occurred at the height of an unrelenting anti-Arab and anti-Muslim campaign against the school, is a major loss for the students and staff of the school and for all of us who are concerned with decent and equitable public education in New York City.
We call on all concerned people–labor and religious leaders, political and educational officials, the media and community members–to join us in demanding an investigation of the events that led to Ms. Almontaser’s resignation. We also call on all members of the community to stand with us in support of the Khalil Gibran International Academy and its founding principal, Debbie Almontaser, and to speak out in opposition to any expressions of racism and bigotry that threaten the school and the well-being of its students.
Sponsors It’s not too late! Sign on by sending an email to kgiasupport@gmail.com.
AWAAM: Arab Women Active in the Arts and Media View Site
Brooklyn For Peace (formerly Brooklyn Parents for Peace) View Site
Center for Immigrant Families View Site
Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition View Site
Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ) View Site
Muslim Consultative Network View Site
WFD Program Steering Committee at First Unitarian Congregational Society of Brooklyn
Organizational Endorsers: It’s not too late! Sign on by sending an email to kgiasupport@gmail.com.
Al-Awda New York View Site
American Association of Yemeni Scientists and Professionals
American Muslim Law Enforcement Officers Association View Site
Bay Ridges Neighbors for Peace
Brooklyn Green Party
CAAAV View Site
Chhaya CDC View Site
Coalition for Asian American Children and Families View Site
Committee for the Open Discussion of Zionism View Site
Council on American Islamic Relations, the New York Chapter (CAIR-NY) View Site
Council of Peoples Organization (COPO) View Site
The December 12th Coalition
DRUM-Desis Rising Up & Moving View Site
Greater Southern Brooklyn Health Coalition View Site
ICOPE View Site
It Is Time
MuslimMatters.org View Site
The Muslim Public Affairs Council View Site
New Jersey Solidarity View Site
New York Collective of Radical Educators View Site
Parents in Action View Site
Pax Christi Metro New York (PCMNY)
Sada: The Association of Yemeni Americans
The Shalom Center
Subjective Theatre Company View Site
Teachers Unite View Site
Women of a Certain Age
Individual Endorsers It’s not too late! Sign on by sending an email to kgiasupport@gmail.com. and please also sign on to our general Statement of Support. And, please provide us with whatever identifying information you are comfortable with (even if just City, State or Country)
Jim Abourezk, Former U.S. Senator, South Dakota
Jessica Adelsberg
Ujju Aggarwal, Center for Immigrant Families
Dohra Ahmad, Assistant Professor of English, St. John’s University
Faiza Ali
Beth Applegate, Concerned Citizen, Takoma Park, MD
Electa Arenal
Dr. Dorothee Benz, Park Slope United Church
Naomi Bimgarden
Naomi Braine
Rev. Robert L. Brashear, Pastor, West-Park Presbyterian Church
Rabbi Marcelo Bronstein, Congregation B’nai Jeshurun
Rabbi Sharon Brous
Elly Bulkin, New Jersey
Lisel Burns, Clergy Leader, Brooklyn Society For Ethical Culture
Leslie Cagan, National Coordinator, United for Peace and Justice
Martha Cameron, Concerned Citizen
Lorraine Cohen, Professor of Sociology, LaGuardia Community College, City University of New York
Rabbi Rachel Cowan, Director, Institute for Jewish Spirituality
Lawrence Davidson, Professor of History, West Chester University
Roger Dennis
Sylvia A. Law, Elizabeth K. Dollard Professor of Law, Medicine and Psychiatry, NYU Law School
Carolyn Eisenberg, Brookyn For Peace
Dr. Joseph J. Fahey, Manhattan College
Catherine Farrell, Newton, MA former public school teacher
Leonard Fein
Rabbi Michael Feinberg, NYC
Rabbi Meir Feldman, Memphis, TN
Nina Felshin, curator, Zilkha Gallery, Wesleyan University
Doris Ferar-Roach, Boston, MA
Michelle Fine, Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Urban Education, The Graduate Center at CUNY
Elsa First, Director, Refugee and Immigrant Project, Child and Family Center, William Alanson White Institute
Alice Fisher, Member, Congregation B’nai Jeshurun
Judith Flamenbaum
Nathan Forouzan
Maddy Fox
Scarlett Fox
David Gerwin, Ansche Chesed
Kimberly S. George, Executive Director Greater Southern Brooklyn Health Coalition
Sabrina Gillespie
Gary Goff, Concerned Citizen
Deborah A. Gordon, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Center for Women’s Studies, Wichita State University
Susan Gluck, Hartford, CT
Andrea Gluckman
Tami Gold, Professor, Filmmaker, Hunter College
Rebecca Goldings
Priscilla Gonzalez, Center for Immigrant Families
Althea Goodison-Orr
Sherry Gorelick, Member, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice; graduate and parent of graduate of New York City public schools
Art Green, Rector, Hebrew College Rabbinical School
Cynthia Greenberg, Co-Chair, Jews for Racial & Economic Justice; Board member, Kolot Chayeinu/Voices of our Lives
Ellen Gruber Garvey, member JFREJ, AFT, and Kolot Chayeinu/Voices of Our Lives; parent of NYC public school graduates
Georgia Guida, Brooklyn, NY
Jim Gunning, New Jersey
Ellen Gurzinsky
Martin Haber, Teacher/ Teacher-Trainer, John Dewey High School, Brooklyn, NY
Samia Halaby, Al-Jisser
Beth Harris, Department of Politics, Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY
Yeuuda Haskelewltch
Caryn Helf
Jeanne Heifetz, Brooklyn Resident and Public-School Parent
Stanley Heller, Teacher and Unionist, Connecticut
Robert Hirschfield
Jane Hirschmann, Co-Chair, Time Out from Testing
Neal Hoffman, MD, Montefiore School Health Program, JFREJ Member
Peter Hogness
Deborah Howard, KGIA Design Team; Founder, Guiding Change Consulting View Site
Anne Istanbuli, Concerned Citizen
Abdeen Jabara
Kristen Jackson
Suad Jukaku
Marcia Kannry, Founder, The Dialogue Project
Kathe Karlson
Rama Kased, Arab Resource and Organizing Center
Michelle Kay, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice
Melanie Kay/Kantrowitz
Patricia Kerle, Concerned Citizen, Takoma Park, MD
Mona Khalidi
Rashid Khalidi
Katharine Kilbourn
Michael Klonsky, Director, Small Schools Workshop
Erwin Kula, President, CLAL-National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership
Sylvia A. Law, Elizabeth K. Dollard Professor of Law, Medicine and Psychiatry, NYU Law School
Nydia Leaf, Retired Educator
John Lehrer
Robert Lesko, Concerned Manhattan Resident and Member, AFT
Alan Levine
Rabbi Joshua Levine-Grater, Pasadena, CA
Linda Levine, Bank Street Graduate Faculty
Laura Liben, NYC, Teaching Artist in the Public Schools
Sarah Lilly, teacher
Priscilla Lincoln
Anne Litwin, Boston, MA
Judith Loebl, member of Jews for Racial and Economic Justice; Brooklyn resident; UFT member and parent of children attending New York City public schools
Sunaina Maira, Associate Professor, University of California Davis
Holly Maguigan, Professor of Clinical Law, New York University School of Law
Rabbi Jeffrey Marker, Brooklyn, NY
Rabbi Rolando Matalon, Congregation B’nai Jeshurun
Ben Morone
Nkomo Morris, Concerned citizen and high school teacher Brooklyn, NY
Jon Moscow
Monami Mualik, DRUM-Desis Rising Up and Moving
Josh Nathan-Kazis
Monty Neill, Director, FairTest: The National Center for Fair & Open Testing
Donna Nevel, Center for Immigrant Families
Dr. Marcy Newman, Assistant Professor, Department of English, Boise State University
Lisa Outar, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of English, St. John’s University
David Osborne, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Rosemarie Pace, Ed.D., Middle Village, NY
Rabbi Michael Paley
Shweta Parmar
Rita Pearl
Perla Placencia, Center for Immigrant Families
Steve Quester, UFT Chapter Leader
Joyce Ravitz, member JFREJ, UFT, and parent of NYC public school graduate
Jenson Reiser, 1st grade teacher, Brooklyn, NY
Beverly Rice
Natalia Rivera-O’Brien, Long Island Teacher
Jessica Rosenzwag
Kate B. Rouhana
Albert Ruben
Julie Ruben, Director, Left Forum
Rabbi Joanna Samuels
Toby Sanchez
Christine Schmidt
Laura Shapiro, NYC
Steve Shreefter, NYC Public School Teacher
Samuel M. Smith, Illinois
Rabbi Felicia Sol, Congregation B’nai Jeshurun
Rabbi Brent Chaim Spodek
Rabbi Mychal Springer, Associate Dean of the Rabbinical School, The Jewish Theological Seminary
Rachel Tore
Yaffa Vinikoor
Rabbi Melissa Weintraub, North American Director, Encounter
Rabbi Arthur Waskow
Terry Weber, UFT Chapter Chair, Urban Academy Laboratory High School
Rebecca Wenstrom, Brooklyn Public School Teacher
Kimtoya Williams, Concerned Brooklyn Parent
Bob Witanek, Founder of NJ Student Advocacy Union
Rachel Wofsy, Brooklyn High School Teacher
John J. Yanno, NYC, UFT teacher
Dorothy M. Zellner, Concerned Jewish resident of NYC
Diane L. Zimmerman, Law Professor, NYU
Note: We value all of those who have attached their names to this statement. Endorsement of this statement does not in any way indicate affiliation with or endorsement by the sponsors of this statement.
