Statement in Support of KGIA

Communities in Support of Khalil Gibran International Academy

As New Yorkers and others in support of quality public education for all of our communities, we stand in solidarity with the Khalil Gibran International Academy, which has sustained hateful and false attacks by anti-Arab media and extremists. In the post-9/11 world, a school educating our children about Arab history, culture, and language is not only crucial for the next generation to become informed leaders for positive change in our communities; it is also an extraordinary place of hope for peace, understanding, and justice for our embattled world. We regret that Debbie Almontaser was unfairly pressured to resign from her position as principal due to the attacks, and we applaud her work to establish this school and promote intercultural exchange in this diverse global city.

“The Khalil Gibran International Academy, which has sustained hateful and false attacks, is an extraordinary place of hope for peace, understanding, and justice.”

Those who seek to equate the study of Arabic language, culture, and history with religious fanaticism and violence are irresponsibly aggravating a present moment of hysteria against Arab and Muslim communities, and are using this moment to promote hatred in a time of war. We urge our public officials to reject these racist and inaccurate attacks, and continue to work towards building a lasting educational institution that promises to bring our communities together, rather than divide and pit them against each other. We call on all communities who want to see peace on our streets and in our world to stand with us in support of the Khalil Gibran International Academy.

Sponsors It’s not too late! Sign on by sending an email to kgiasupport@gmail.com.

• Arab Resource and Organizing Center, San Francisco, CA View Site
• AWAAM: Arab Women Active in the Arts and Media View Site/li>
• Brown Memorial Baptist ChurchView Site
• Center for Immigrant Families View Site
• Council on American Islamic Relations – NY View Site
• Council of Peoples Organization (COPO) 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.

• Adalah-NY: Coalition for Justice in the Middle EastView Site
• The African American Islamic Institute (AAII)
• Al-Awda View Site
• American Association of Yemeni Scientists and Professionals
• The American Muslim Law Enforcement Officers Association View Site
• The a-Rab Magazine, Berkeley, CA
• Brecht Forum
• Brooklyn For Peace (formerly Brooklyn Parents for Peace) View Site
• Brooklyn Green Party
• Council of Peoples Organization (COPO) View Site
• Ethical Action Commitee of the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture View Site
• Harmonic Insurgence
• Independent Commission on Public Education View Site
• Jews Against the Occupation (JATO)
• Jewish Voice for Peace View Site
• Kolot Chayeinu/Voices of Our Lives, Brooklyn View Site
• Las Trabajadores por La Paz
• Make the Road by Walking View Site
• Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, Oakland Chapter
• National Institute for Latino Policy View Site
• New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, NY
• New York Collective of Radical Educators (NYCORE) View Site
• The New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC)View Site
• Paper Tiger TV CollectiveView Site
• Pax Christi Metro New York (PCMNY) View Site
• Peoples MEDIA Center View Site
• Sada: The Association of Yemeni Americans
• Samba School for Social Justice Project View Site
• Students for Justice in Palestine, UC Berkeley Chapter
• Sunset Park Alliance of Neighbors
• Teachers Unite View Site
• War Resisters League
• WESPAC FoundationView Site

Individual Endorsers It’s not too late! Sign on by sending an email to kgiasupport@gmail.com and, please provide us with whatever identifying information you are comfortable with (even if just City, State or Country).

• Geralyn Abinader, Consulting, Media Design and Production View Site
• Katherine Acey, Concerned Brooklyn Resident
• Konrad Aderer, Concerned Brooklyn Resident and Documentary Producer, Life or Liberty View Site
• Dohra Ahmad, Assistant Professor of English, St. John’s University
• Deb Alexander, Virginia
• Rev. Elizabeth Alexander, Church of the Gethsemane
• Beth Applegate, Concerned Citizen, Takoma Park, MD
• Dr. Aref Assaf, President, American Arab Forum, NJ View Site
• Reshma Baig & Yahiya Emerick, Islamic Foundation of North America (IFNA) View Site
• Aleise Barnett, NYC Public School Teacher
• Dominika Bennacer, Ph.D. Candidate, New York University, Performance Studies
• Dr. Dorothee Benz, Park Slope United Methodist Church
• Abdelilah Alami Binani
• Rev. Dr. Robert L. Brashear, Pastor, West-Park Presbyterian Church; President, Interfaith Assembly on Housing Homelessness
• Rabbi Marcelo Bronstein, Congregation Bnai Jeshurun
• Michael F. Brown
• Elly Bulkin
• Lisel Burns, Clergy Leader, Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture
• Leslie Cagan, National Coordinator, United For Peace and Justice View Site
• Martha Cameron, Concerned Citizen
• Carmen M. Colon, Co-Founder, Association of New York City Councils & Executive Director, Universal S.I.S.T.A.S.
• M. Doretta Cornell, RDC, Hawthorne, NY
• Margery Cornwell, Quaker, Brooklyn
• Rabbi Rachel Cowan, Director, Institute for Jewish Spirituality
• Louis Cristillo, PhD, Research Assistant, Professor,Teachers College, Columbia University
• Carolyn Rusti Eisenberg, Brooklyn for Peace
• Dr. Joseph J. Fahey, Manhattan College
• Leonard Fein, Founder of Mazon and Moment Magazine, writer
• Rabbi Michael Feinberg, Executive Director, Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition
• Doris Ferrar-Roach, Boston, MA
• Marjorie Fine, Director, Expanding Resources for Community Organizing, Center for Community Change
• Michelle Fine, Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Urban Education, The Graduate Center, CUNY
• Judith Flamenbaum
• Alice Fisher, Abrahamic Network of NY & Member of Congregation B’nai Jeshuran, NYC
• Kathleen Foster, Filmmaker
• Martha Gallahue, Concerned Parent in Brooklyn
• Peter Geffen, Founder and Director, Kivunim and Founder, Abraham Joshua Heschel School
• Sherna Berger Gluck
• Ellen Davidson, NYC journalist, musician, and activist
• Gary Goff, Concerned Citizen
• Deborah A. Gordon, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Center for Women’s Studies, Wichita State University
• Althea Goodison-Orr
• Ellen Gruber Garvey, concerned Brooklyn resident and member of Kolot Chayeinu
• Ron Hayduk, Associate Professor of Political Science, Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY
• Jeanne Heifetz, Brooklyn Resident and Public-School Parent
• Peter Hogness
• Deborah Howard, KGIA Design Team Member; Founder, Guiding Change Consulting View Site
• Carol Horwitz, Concerned Brooklyn Resident
• Anne Istanbuli, Concerned Citizen
• Leif Josefsson, Facilitator, Leander Kommunikation & Förändring AB, Sweden
• Valerie Kameya, Concerned Brooklyn Resident
• Lucine Kasbarian, Teaneck, NJ
• Patricia Kerle, Concerned Citizen, Takoma Park, MD
• Katherine King, Professor of Comparative Literature and Classics, UCLA
• Youme Landowne, Artist and Educator View Site
• Gail Lerner, NYC
• Robert Lesko, Concerned Manhattan Resident and Member, AFT
• Laura Liben, Teaching Artist, NY Public Schools
• Sarah Lilly, New York teacher
• Rabbi Ellen Lippmann, Kolot Chayeinu
• 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
• Chris Lymbertos, Oakland, CA
• Dalia Mahmoud, President of the Muslim Finance Professionals Association View Site
• Sunaina Maira, Associate Professor, University of California Davis
• Rabbi Jeffrey Marker, Brooklyn, NY
• Rabbi Roly Matalon, Bnei Jesurun
• Rabbi Shira Milgrom, Congregation Kol Ami, White Plains NY
• Martin Morand
• Dr. Lucinda Mosher, Interreligious Relations Consultant
• Jon Moscow, Education Consultant
• Rabbi J. Rolando Matalon, Congregation Bnai Jeshurun
• Dr. Marcy Newman, Assistant Professor, Department of English, Boise State University
• Robina Niaz, Turning Point for Women and Families
• Saul Nieves, Activist and Union Organizer
• Lisa Outar, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of English, St. John’s University
• David Osborne, Halifax, Nova Scotia
• Rosemarie Pace, Ed.D., Middle Village, NY
• Judith Mahoney Pasternak, New York City journalist and activist
• Robert Patterson, Theatre Professional and Community Organizer View Site
• Steve Quester, UFT Member
• Joyce Ravitz, UFT Member
• Kate B. Rouhana
• Malika Rushdan; Consultant & Artist: Modern Age Art View Site
• Ariel Salzmann, Associate Professor Islamic and World History, Queen’s University
• Toby Sanchez
• Roberta Schine, Member, Town & Village Synagogue
• Wendy Schwartz, Education Writer, Researcher, and Editor
• Rabbi Gerry Serotta, Temple Shalom and Chair of Rabbis for Human Rights-North America
• Laura Shapiro, NYC
• Rabbi Felicia Sol, Congregation Bnai Jeshurun
• Rev. Charles H. Straut, Jr., DMin, Member, KGIA Advisory Committee
• Ashaki H. Taha-Cisse, Executive Director, African American Islamic Institute (AAII)
• Yona Shem Tov, Doctoral student in Education & Jewish Studies, NYU, Wexner Graduate Fellow
• Erica Waples, MPA, Board Member, Arab Women Active in the Arts and Media
• Hannah Weinstock, Concerned Queens Resident and Member, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice
• Rabbi Melissa Weintraub, North American Director, Encounter
• Eileen B. Weiss, Managing Director, Same Difference Interfaith Alliance
• Rebecca Wenstrom, Brooklyn Public School Teacher
• Kimtoya Williams, Concerned Brooklyn Parent
• Bob Witanek, Founder of NJ Student Advocacy Union
• Rachel Wofsy, Brooklyn Public School Teacher
• Ethan Young, Brooklyn parent of public school students

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.