You might have seen CASS and our allies in the news recently, reacting to a blatant act of discrimination and abuse of power on the part of a DC Public Library police officer who ordered a woman to remove her hijab. In a later interview, the officer said he thought it was a hoodie. Either way, we were not impressed by this clear discrimination.

Our collective organizations released a public statement calling on the DC Public Library and other public institutions to address Islamophobia through a public information campaign and improved staff training. We also called on DC Council to convene a listening session that invites Muslim communities, which includes all various ethnicities and racial groups, to discuss their experiences with discrimination, bias, racism, and Islamophobia in the District.

We even hosted a demonstration outside of Shaw Library, with many of our supporters like you, to reclaim safe public spaces for everyone.

Now, we need your help.

Have you been harassed or assaulted in the DC area because of your real or perceived Muslim identity? Share your stories with us to help us inform important advocacy we’re working on this year to make DC safe for everyone.

Your stories will support training, advocacy, and development efforts by CASS and Muslim American Women’s Policy Forum. We will keep all accounts anonymous unless otherwise specified.

If you have questions or prefer to submit your story via email, please contact Collective Action for Safe Spaces ED Jessica Raven at jessica@collectiveactiondc.org or Muslim American Women’s Policy Forum Co-Founder Darakshan Raja at darakshan@washingtonpeacecenter.org.