The Labor of Labor Day

The United States and Canada observe Labor Day every first Monday of September. The rest of the world honors Labor Day on May 1st. Instead of reflecting on the accomplishments and contributions of workers, we take a holiday, run errands, or shop. September’s Labor Day lacks rallies, commemorations, or political education efforts. Workers do not get a space to voice their demands or concerns. Labor Day sales do not help us connect our struggles with economic justice. Our Labor Day in September is simply a pressure release valve, a federal day off that many disenfranchised individuals do not get.

Racial divisions have historically been used to distract working-class people from the real problem. Some exploit immigrants to create a buffer class. For example, Henry Ford’s racism towards African Americans and anti-Semitism towards Jews drove him to exploit immigrants arriving from the Levant. Now many labor unions explore the connections, recognize the historical inequities, and center racial equity.

Land theft, economic exploitation, and militarism are pillars of the system of inequality that we see today. Coercion and prejudice continue to shape how we think and our political institutions. Over the past few decades, we’ve seen increasing vilification of unions and dismissals of workers’ rights.

For a brief moment, during the pandemic, our society became aware of front-line and essential workers. These include cashiers, food processors, agricultural workers, and drivers. During the height of the pandemic, conversations about race and labor led to mobilizations on our streets. However, our movement became coopted. This contentious election cycle should cause us to pause and question. Who is winning? What is the fallout of the pandemic recovery, the forever wars, and the genocides playing out on our mobile devices? This Labor Day, instead of shopping or binging the next show, we need to think about economic justice, and why centering immigrant laborers and the 800,000 prison laborers can help us build a more just society.

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A People's Guide to media literacy

“Without facts, you can’t have truth. Without truth, you can’t have trust. Without trust, we have no shared reality, and it becomes impossible to deal with the existential problems we face.”
Maria Ressa (Nobel Peace Prize-winning journalist)

This war on truth isn’t theoretical. We’ve seen it in political messaging , AI deep fakes, and media manipulation. Now that we get our information dispersed across podcasts, vlogs, and text messages it is becoming harder to tell fact from fiction. Disinformation distracts us, divides us, and discredits our movements. In today's world, elected officials share false stories about immigrants to stoke xenophobic and anti-Black sentiments to drive votes. Conspiracy theories fuel distrust and are used to undermine social justice movements. In this fast-paced Age of Information, we must learn to distinguish between propaganda and education and sensationalism and journalism.

The good news? You don't need a college degree to be media literate. Every day, people have always been truth-tellers, especially in our families and communities. Whether you're an auntie sharing news in a group chat, a teen on social media, or someone just trying to stay informed without getting overwhelmed, this guide is for you.

Juneteenth 2025

Juneteenth: More Than History—it’s a Movement We Must Protect

“The only way we’ll get freedom for ourselves is to identify ourselves with every oppressed people in the world.” Malcolm X

Juneteenth marks not just the end of chattel slavery, but the beginning of a continued struggle for freedom. As federal troops enforced emancipation in Texas in 1865, systems of racial oppression evolved. Mass incarceration, labor trafficking, and border enforcement remain legal through loopholes like the 13th Amendment and state-sponsored exploitation. This regime threatens not only our civil rights, but our freedoms.

Under Siege: Erasing American Memory

The Trump administration and its Project 2025 blueprint have openly moved to dismantle institutions that preserve Black history. They have defunding museums like the National Museum of African American History, censoring school curricula, banning DEI, and even directing park rangers to flag “negative” narratives. Project 2025’s “Mandate for Leadership” calls for mass deportations and expanded executive powers, threatening immigrants and activists alike. In 2025, federal grant programs for Juneteenth were rescinded, shrinking celebrations and chilling organizers.

Modern Forms of Unfreedom

Global slavery still traps over 50 million people. In the U.S., over 400,000 are in forced labor in fields like agriculture, domestic work, incarceration, and sex trafficking . African migrants face exploitation in the kafala system—tied to employers in Gulf countries—and trafficking across international borders. This exploitation is the unpaid labor behind our smartphones, chocolate, and gold.

Our Role as MuslimARC

As a faith-rooted anti-racism collective, MuslimARC rejects the erasure of this ongoing struggle. We affirm:

Abolition of mass incarceration and exploitative labor systems

Divestment from racial capitalism and unjust supply chains

Investment in Black led freedom movements and Black Immigrant and Indigenous leadership

What You Can Do

Speak out—call out historical erasure at Juneteenth events and in schools.

Support DEI and grant-funded programs facing defunding.

Divest from products built on exploitation—like cobalt, chocolate, gold, electronics.

Amplify Black- and immigrant-led campaigns for freedom and rights.

This Juneteenth, our struggle is not history—it’s alive. If our institutions seek to silence our stories, our answer must be louder, bolder, more united.

African Peace Conference

The fifth annual African Conference for Peace occurred in Nouakchott, Mauritania, from January 21 to 23, 2025. The forum gathered leaders and scholars to discuss the theme "The Imperative for Dialogue and the Pertinence of Reconciliations."The conference addressed challenges facing Africa, including climate change, migration, armed conflict, and the role of women and youth. A group of 22 African American Muslims led by Imam Talib Shareef of Masjid Muhammad in Washington, D.C., attended the conference. They were the first-ever African-American Muslim delegation representing the International Coalition for Peace and Reconciliation (ICPR).