As the academic year comes to an end, we recognize that this has been a challenging quarter, on many fronts, but especially for our Black community members. And although we at the Markaz are hurting, we are also uplifted by the global fight for racial justice, and the tireless efforts of organizers fighting for a future in which Black lives not only matter, but are valued and respected. The Markaz is ending our year of programming with a space for reflection and re-imagining at Tuesday's Afterzoom Chai (details below). We hope that this conversation can assist with processing how we can continue, as individuals and as a community, to move forward.
“You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.” ― Angela Davis
The Digital Markaz will be "open" this summer, as we continue to build off of the energy of our spring town hall and envision the future of our center. Directors Abiya and Cassie will be available for meetings, and events and workshops will be scheduled as needed. We hope you will stay in touch with Markaz during summer break, but if not, we look forward to welcoming you back in the Fall. Take care of yourselves and each other, dear community!
AFTERZOOM CHAI: REFLECTIONS & REIMAGININGS Tuesday, June 9 at 3:30 PM PST
Join us for our last AfterZoom Chai of the year to reflect and re-imagine. This quarter has been incredibly stressful and challenging for many of us, to varying degrees, and we want to make space for all of that. We will be doing some collective readings and responding to prompts (through written words, drawings, etc). We’d love to be in community with you all one more time before the year ends.
NEW MOSAIC EPISODE:
RAMADAN DURING COVID
The final episode of this season's Markaz Mosaic is out! In this session, Arman interviews four members from the community on their Ramadan experiences, before and after COVID. The episode can be found both at the Mosaic website: as well as our SoundCloud page.
Arman also wants to thank the broader Markaz community for listening to and participating in Mosaic. Even though this year is coming to an end, there is a possibility that the project continues, and if you want to get involved in audio storytelling at the Markaz, please get in touch!
CONTRIBUTE TO OUR 2020 YEARBOOK
Graduating Students: We recognize that these are difficult times for all of us, and that it may be challenging to feel excited and proud during your final days at Stanford. Still, we want to honor you and your hard work on the road to graduation, and as a community, we are committed to uplifting your accomplishments. When it's suitable, the Markaz community will gather in person for a celebration for the class of 2020, but for now, we are creating a Virtual Yearbook on Instagram to capture the moment. If you'd like to participate, please fill out this form. Undergraduate and graduate students are invited to partake. Thank you and congratulations!!
COMMUNITY CREATIVE ARCHIVE: NEW SELECTIONS
How Does It Feel to Be A Problem? by Yasmeen AlSaif
"The goal of the product is to shed light on anti-blackness within the Arab and or Muslim communities. The first layer is a washed out photo collage of influential Black Arabs and Black Muslims (List 1 below). The second layer is a list of Black people who were murdered by the police or died in their custody (List 2 below). The last layer is a translation of “How does it feel to be a problem?” from Du Bois’ The Souls of Black Folk, repeated three times in red, white and blue, one representing Black Muslims, another representing Black Arab Muslims, and the third representing the national intersection of the two (Black Arab Muslim Americans or Black Muslim Americans, hence the red and blue.)"
List 2 (in order by column): George Floyd. Ahmaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor. Oscar Grant. Tamir Rice. Trayvon Martin. Eric Garner. Philando Castile. Samuel Dubose. Sandra Bland. Walter Scott. Terrence Crutcher. Tony McDade.Freddie Gray. Jamar Clark. Jemery McDole. Michael Brown. Antonio Martin. Sean Bell. Pamela Turner. John Crawford III.Stephon Clark. Amadou Diallo. Mya Hall. India Kager. Bettie Jones. Eric Reason. Janet Wilson. Jordan Edwards. Ronell Foster. Wendell Celestine. Miguel Espinal. Frank Smart. Natasha McKenna.
COMMUNITY RESOURCES
LIFE AND WELL-BEING COACHING
Need a space to just be or vent about anything, no judgment? Feel like you're on a treadmill running endlessly to nowhere? Forgotten your "why" about being at Stanford? Sign up for Life & Well-Being Coaching with undergraduate coach Bri Griffin '11 or community center and ethnic theme house coach Maija Cruz '12! Make appointments at coaching.stanford.edu.
From the Class of 2011, Bri (she/her) is stoked to return to the Farm in this new role addressing student well-being. Her goal is to support students in identifying the goals, dreams, and visions they have (life, academic, or otherwise) and then coach around these goals to empower students to stay true to them both at Stanford and beyond. Sign up for coaching with Bri here.
From the Class of 2012, Maija (she/her) has been working on the Farm since graduating and is loving this new role supporting and encouraging student well-being. Her passion is to support students who might feel "othered" by the academe or who want to focus on clarifying their goals, then coach on skill building, coping strategies, and empowering students to create movement towards a sustainable, authentic self. Sign up for coaching with Maija here.
OFFICE HOURS WITH DR. RANIA AWAAD
The Office of Religious Life is sponsoring 1:1 zoom sessions with Dr. Rania Awaad to discuss anything you would like. In previous years, students have used these confidential sessions to discuss self-care, mental wellbeing, spiritual life questions, life-study-activism balance as some examples. The ORL encourages you to make use of this time-limited opportunity to check-in! There are 6 slots available per week, click hereto sign up for a session.
TELEHEALTH SESSIONS WITH DR. DAKWAR
Book a 30-minute appointment between 3:15 - 4:45 PM on Thursdays with Dr. Enas Dakwar. These telehealth sessions are designed to provide all members of the Markaz Community, wherever you are, with support. Due to legal restrictions, zoom video will be provided for students within the state of California. If you are out of state or country, only zoom audio will be provided.
COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITIES
Nominate a Graduate student for a VPGE Scholar award. In partnership with the Vice Provost from Graduate Education (VPGE), the Markaz is excited to open nominations for the Markaz Graduate Scholar Award. This award recognizes and honors the contributions of a current graduate student who, in addition to demonstrating excellence in academic and intellectual achievement, has served as a community mentor and role model, inspiring other grad students and/or undergrads. The student can be in any year of their graduate program, in any of the seven schools, excluding co-terms. Submit your nomination here
Voices of Dissent: Prison Memoirs of Prominent Iranian Journalists. Two of Iran’s most prominent journalists, Jila Baniyaghoob and Bahman Ahmadi Amouee will discuss their memoirs about the time they each spent in Iranian prisons, and their on-going work in the fields of women’s rights and Iran’s political economy on Tuesday, June 9th at 10 am PST. Abbas Milani, Director of the Iranian Studies Program at Stanford, will moderate the discussion. Jila and Bahman join us from their home in Iran, their conversation will be live-translated from Farsi to English, followed by a Q&A session. Register here for the webinar!
Take a class on Contemporary Islam and Muslims in America over the summer: What is really going on for American Muslims in a post 9/11, Trump-era America? How are they managing their identities and commitment? What role do racial and gender dynamics, ideological differences, and politics play in this process? This course (RELIGST 26S), taught by Abiya Ahmed, will explore these questions (and more) and help develop a critical perspective on the American Muslim experience, particularly as a case of how one diverse religious community negotiates religion in a complex sociopolitical setting.
A NOTE ON MARKAZ EVENTS
During Spring quarter, Markaz events will continue to be ways that we learn, engage and relax together. We know that we are a diverse and global community, however, for consistency, all events will be scheduled on PST.
