Towards the Sun نحو الشمس
Description
Towards the Sun is an anthology from the perspective of Arab women transplanted into the greater Chicago area, as part of the Arab Women's Committee under the Arab American Action Network. In its totality, it details AWC members’ dedication to transforming their own lives and the lives of others in their communities. These brave women describe the challenges Arab immigrant and refugee women face in overcoming new cultural norms, their feelings on their abilities and limitations as women in unfamiliar home and public environments, and their struggles to become autonomous and empowered. In an act of solidarity, they have banded together to allow readers to bear witness to their successes and obstacles in integrating, as well as the painful memories of why they had to leave their homelands. Ultimately, these accounts have much to teach about entering the unknown and emerging triumphant.
”نحو الشمس“ أنطولوجيا من منظور نساء عربيات يعشْن في شيكاغو، وهن عضوات في لجنة النساء العربيات التابعة لشبكة الفعل الأميركية العربية. في هذه الأنطولوجيا تتحدث النساء المذكورات عن نضالهن لتغيير حياتهن وحيوات الآخرين في جماعاتهن. تصف النساء الجسورات التحديات التي تواجهها النساء العربيات المهاجرات واللاجئات ومحاولتهن للتغلب على الأعراف الثقافية الجديدة، ومشاعرهن حيال قدراتهن وحدودهن كنساء في وطن غير مألوف وبيئات عامة، وصراعاتهن كي يصبحن مستقلات وقويات. وفي فعل يعبّر عن التضامن روين ما حدث لهن كي يطلع القارئ على نجاحاتهن والعوائق التي وقفت في طريق اندماجهن، وكذلك الذكريات المؤلمة حول الأسباب التي اضطرتهن لمغادرة الوطن الأم. في النهاية، إن هذه القصص فيها الكثير الذي نتعلم منه حول دخول المجهول والخروج منتصرين.
Table of Contents
Index
Towards the Sun by Rasmea Odeh | 7
Introduction | 9
Arab American Action Network: Emergence and Goals | 9
The Arab Women’s Committee: Goals and Reality | 13
The Committee’s Achievements | 16
Oral History Writing Project | 20
Towards the Sun by Nadine Suleiman Naber | 23
Between Reality and Dreams | 25
The Beginning of Hope by Um Mahfouz | 27
No Despair with Life by Wafa Jaber | 31
Immigration and Adaptability by Makeeza Joudah | 33
As You Sow, So Will You Reap by Um Bader | 35
Age Differences by Um Leena | 37
Alienation | 39 - The Cost of Alienation by Fa’ida Sahour | 41
Alienation and Suffering by Fatmah Tabally | 43
Time is a Double-Edged Sword by Manhal Abdel-Haq | 45
A Mother is a School | 47
A Mother is a School for the Nation by Halima Alrushadi | 49
"The Darkest Hour is the One Before Dawn" by Amina Ashuaibi | 51
A Blessing in Disguise by Fayzeh Harb | 53
A Song of Giving and Longing | 55
If I Could Only Go Back in Time! by Wafa Jaber | 57
Job Opportunity by Um Sami | 59
Volunteering is the Beginning by Um Suhaib | 61
Rights Will not be Lost | 63
You Get Your Rights if You Demand Them by Um Ahmad | 65
Where is Justice? by Um Ayman | 67
The Innocent Becomes the Accused by Randa Ibraheem | 71
From the Destruction We Shall Rise | 73
Gaza, Shout! by Fa’ida Sahouri | 75
Gaza Massacres by Halima Alrushadi | 77
Author's Info
The Arab American Action Network (AAAN) strives to strengthen the Arab community in the Chicago area by building its capacity to be an active agent for positive social change. As a grassroots nonprofit, our strategies include community organizing, advocacy, education, providing social services, leadership development, cultural outreach and forging productive relationships with other communities.
Our vision is for a strong Arab American community whose members have the power to make decisions about actions and policies that affect their lives and have access to a range of social, political, cultural and economic opportunities in a context of equity and social justice.
Reviews
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Sneak Peeks
[Nadine Naber's article]
