February 18, 2021

 — THIS WEEK IN DC —

Senate acquits Trump in impeachment trial — again; House Democrat sues Trump, Giuliani and 2 far-right groups over Capitol riot; U.S. Capitol Police Union issues no-confidence vote for top leaders; White House announces expanded COVID-19 testing, manufacturing and virus sequencing; House Democrats plan to push Biden's COVID relief plan through the chamber next week; Former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole announces stage 4 lung cancer; Congressional Democrats introduce eight-year path to citizenship; Lincoln Project faces calls to shut down; Biden’s Medicare pick Chiquita Brooks-LaSure would be 1st Black woman to hold post; Democratic lawmakers introduce Biden’s immigration plan; White House announces $4 billion in funding for COVAX, the global vaccine effort that Trump spurned, that helps low- and middle-income families.  

 In This Issue 

• America Needs More Than Vaccines to Cure the Pandemic
• A Breath of Fresh Air: Exclusive Interview with Attorney Najmah Brown, Advocate for Humanity

 Featured 

America Needs More Than Vaccines to Cure the Pandemic

By: Prema Rahman, Human Security Campaign Manager

In spring of 2020, the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) swiftly assessed the state of our nation through the lens of human security. Whereas traditional national security involves the maintenance of a strong military, vigilant law enforcement, and secure borders, human security is an equity-based, people-centric approach to protecting Americans from fear and want of basic rights and needs, including access to medical care and proper nutrition. 

The glaring absence of human security in the wake of the pandemic threw America into a state of fear and confusion. Despite the near trillion dollars allotted for our national security budget, Americans were not safe from the life-threatening or financial impact of the virus, compounded by our profit-driven, inaccessible healthcare. Strengthening human security will not only help Americans in the short term, but also serve as a safety net for the nation should we be ever thrown into a similar state of emergency again. As Congress determines funding for the various components of President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, our next COVID-19 relief package, this framework serves as a litmus test to determine if the provisions of the latest package address the pressing needs and insecurities of the American people.

Read the full article

A Breath of Fresh Air: Exclusive Interview with Attorney Najmah Brown, Advocate for Humanity

By: K. H. Hamilton, MPAC African American Muslim Insight Council (AAMIC) member and emerging Muslim leader

Originally published: Muslim Journal Vol. 46, No. 43, July 10, 2020 (Part I) and Vol. 46, No. 44, July 17, 2020 (Part II)

INTERNATIONAL – I am elated to introduce an Advocate for Humanity, Atty. Najmah Brown, who specializes in litigation and transactions. Her reflections on travel and powerful message to our youth are ingrained in the spirit of our people’s ability to transcend all obstacles.

Atty. Brown reminds us that James Baldwin’s leaving America at the age of 24 and El Hajj Malik El Hajj Shabazz’s (Malcolm X’s) trips abroad to Mecca and Ghana speak to her experience of reprogramming herself to live abroad and beyond the realms of racism in the United States.

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of interviewing Atty. Najmah Brown. Mash’ Allah, I was truly in for a treat, as Najmah is exceptionally down to earth and genuinely reflective of all that Al-Islam represents.

I am certain her family is extremely proud of her accomplishments. And after reading this article, you will Insh’ Allah see how inspiring and timely her words are for our youth.

Read the full article

Join us for a conversation that rethinks the connection of the Civil Rights and African American Muslim Movements as parallel movements to one Freedom Struggle in America. Okolo Rashid, co-founder of the International Museum of Muslim Cultures in Jackson, Mississippi, will present her emerging research on the convergence of these two movements having produced a unique religious-based social justice model.

This webinar is a continuation of an extended webinar series, focusing on social justice and equity, diversity & inclusion and how we are uniquely positioned to address this special moment in America and the world, in partnership with the International Museum of Muslim Cultures of Jackson, Mississippi.

 Good to Know 

• Coronavirus: US life expectancy falls by a year amid pandemic 
• Texas power grid was "seconds or minutes" away from catastrophic failure, officials say
• U.S. will send $2 billion to global COVID vaccine program targeting developing nations
• Amazon sued by New York over 'deficient' Covid-19 response
• Cruz draws backlash for trip to Cancun amid winter storm crisis
• State lawmakers propose bill to ban fracking in California by 2027
• Talk show host Rush Limbaugh, a conservative lodestar, dies at 70
• NASA Rover will be landing on Mars soon--one of the leads on making this possible is a Lebanese student at MIT
• Experts warn against COVID-19 variants as states reopen
• The Biden administration announces it would agree to meet with Iran and other world powers involved in negotiating the 2015 nuclear deal, the first public step toward renewed diplomacy with Tehran

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