By Malika MacDonald, Director, ICNA Relief Women's Shelter Initiative
My faith called on me to respond. Compelled to travel to Baltimore, MD, to see how ICNA Relief USA could assist, I found a city under siege although very different from what was being portrayed by news outlets.
In downtown Baltimore, I witnessed the eerie abandonment of a city. Blocks of businesses were closed but, oddly, there were no vandals on the street. I stumbled upon what looked like an army base in the middle of the city, only to discover it was City Hall Plaza. The National Guard was there, in full combat fatigues, gripping their assault rifles, perched upon tanks. Yes, tanks invaded the streets of Baltimore, USA.
A Sea of Police
A Sea of Police
I looked upon on a sea of police in riot gear and a convoy of military vehicles, I wondered what they were preparing for? Feeling threatened, my heart began racing, my natural defenses on alert, not knowing what I’d encounter.
I, a white Muslim woman arrived at West North Ave., Ground Zero in Baltimore, and strangely did not find looters and rioters. Instead, I saw a resilient community attempting to survive. As I walked the neighborhood near the CVS that had been burned during the uprisings, I saw devastation that existed long before the murder of Freddie Gray.
Rows upon rows of boarded up buildings that absentee landlords had abandoned years ago. I saw children with nowhere to play except the city block. Their community centers had closed, some even before these kids were born. I observed red, black and blue colors united, so called “gangs” of youth, sitting on stoops of boarded up buildings. These young people that the media described as “thugs” were united to keep the peace within their community.
I saw churches unloading truckloads of food to feed the community, and met with organizers from Ferguson who discussed lessons of a shared struggle. I was greeted with smiles as I walked past residents who were continuing with life as usual. For many in this community, the events leading up to the murder of Freddie Gray were nothing new. It is a reality they live with on a day-to-day basis in this section of Baltimore that’s plagued by some of the worst poverty in the country.
Boots on the Ground
When I reached Masjid ul-Saffat, an Islamic Center established in 1971 and home to the Muslim Social Service Agency (MSSA), I saw they already had boots on the ground. There was a nursing home and two senior centers in the vicinity that they were serving. ICNA Relief USA teamed up with MSSA to serve those hardest hit by the recent uprisings - senior citizens. Many residents used wheelchairs or walkers, and now had no access to basic necessities. ICNA Relief USA and MSSA brought short term relief by providing basic food staples and personal hygiene products.
Masjid ul-Saffat was one of numerous indigenous Muslim Islamic Centers and organizations to take a leading role in their community, but lacked the resources to bring about greater systemic change. The Muslim response in Baltimore has been extraordinary but the need will remain for some time. ICNA Relief USA has committed to supporting these organizations by soliciting resources, providing trainings and consultation for long term development projects needed to improve the Baltimore community. Our ICNA-MAS Convention that is to be held in Baltimore from May 23-25, 2015 will be host a Town Hall discussion examining the root causes that led up to the Baltimore riots.
Caption for photo: Sr. Malika MacDonald (above), Director, ICNA Relief Women's Shelter Initiative, joined the 300 Men March, a community activist group against gun violence, in Park Heights, to call for the fair treatment of all people. - April 28, 2015.
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