People's Power Lab

 A Profile in Courage - Naeema Muhammad Naeema Muhammad is a veteran social justice organizer based in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Sister Naeema is the founding member of North Carolina-based B lack Workers for Justice (BWFJ), an organization dedicated to building Black working-class movement for racial, economic, and other forms of justice. Since 2001, Sister N aeema has been a community organizer for the North Carolina Environmental Justice Network . She served as a community organizer working with communities fighting to stop waste caused by industrial hog operations in eastern part of North Carolina, among other environmental injustices. Sister Naeema has used her skills as community organizer to collect data on health impacts due to swine lagoons, conduct environmental justice education, and organize community members against environmental racism . Members of People's Power Lab visited Sister Naeema in June 2023, and collected the following information. A native of Rocky M...

  Climate Change and the Global South  By Sameer Cheema * Global warming and climate change, two terms used interchangeably yet both point towards an impending doom, are the perfect example of what happens when the US and other affluent countries are left unchecked in their relentless pursuit of economic growth. Powerhouses of industrialisation such as the US, China and Russia are also mass emitters of greenhouse gases, which are the main culprit of climate change, due to their heavy use of fossil fuels and unsustainable consumption patterns. Therefore, it is heartbreaking to see these countries, that have unjustly and disproportionately benefited from their actions, clearly neglect the global crisis that they have largely caused. Climate Change and the Refugee Crisis In light of this, the need for affluent countries to open their doors to refugees escaping the effects of climate change has never been greater. It is not only a moral obligation, but a matter of basic human dece...

Organizing Against Shaw Rezoning and Defending King Khalid Masjid The following letter-to-the-editor was published in the News and Observer on June 25, 2023. The Raleigh City Council’s decision to rezone Shaw Unive rsity’s properties was a massive disappointment for Black, Brown, Muslim, and working-class community members. Opposition to rezoning brought together a diverse coalition, ranging from Shaw students and alums who want to maintain the historic character of their campus, Muslim community members who want to save a mosque on the campus, and Raleigh community members who are opposed to gentrification in downtown Raleigh neighborhoods. Opponents of rezoning organized multiple protests against it and expressed their opposition to it during city council meetings. After the divided vote favoring the rezoning, coalition members will redouble grassroots organizing against policies and elected officials who value development over people. Protest in defense of King Khalid Masjid in Rale...

 Organizing Against Religious Extremism in Pakistan On August 16th, a mob attacked 22 churches, 50 Christian homes and even a Christian graveyard in the Pakistani city of Jarranwala in response to accusation of “blasphemy” (sources: AlJazeera, Reuters). As a response, many South Asian and Muslim community members joined a protest in Raleigh, North Carolina, to condemn the attack against the Christian community in Pakistan. We drew connections between inequality and rise in violence in Pakistan and other parts of the world. Participants resolved to continue organizing against extremism and violence at home and abroad. We look forward to continuing to organize for social justice with you all! Check out an article and pictures by Rohingya refugee organizer, Arafat Islam, on the protest against anti-Christian violence in Pakistan. Peoples Unite Against Religious Extremism  by Arafat Islam We all gathered up in Downtown Raleigh, and we were protesting on the sidewalk about the viol...

Local to Global Perspectives: Challenges Faced By the Healthcare System in Pakistan by Minal Zaman Cheema* Healthcare in Pakistan faces several challenges, including inadequate infrastructure, limited access to quality healthcare services, and major disparities between rural and urban areas. Pakistan has a mixed healthcare system comprising of public and private healthcare facilities. The public sector includes government-funded hospitals and dispensaries, while the private sector includes privately owned setups, clinics, and laboratories. The public system and infrastructure in Pakistan is often overburdened and vastly under-resourced. Government hospitals can face issues such as overcrowding, lack of essential medical supplies, and long waiting hours. The quality of care can also vary between different public setups. The private sector offers a range of services and is often perceived to have better facilities and shorter wait times compared to the public system. However, private he...