Solidarity Across Division
In this conversation, co-host Adaku Utah speaks with Rima Meroueh of the National Network for Arab American Communities to explore how Arab American communities are resisting surveillance and erasure. We reflect on solidarity as both a practice of healing from imposed divisions and a powerful strategy for building connection and power across differences.
ABOUT THE EPISODE GUEST
Rima Meroueh is an Arab American activist and leader who currently heads the National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC), an institution of ACCESS. Her work focuses on justice and equity, along with empowering communities from the ground up. At NNAAC, she has expanded the programming to include capacity building, policy advocacy, civic engagement, and youth empowerment. Under Rima’s leadership, NNAAC is leading powerful advocacy campaigns to ensure that people from the Middle East and North Africa are a recognized minority group, allowing them access to vital data and resources that ensure their health and wellbeing.
Prior to joining NNAAC, Rima worked on the Michigan Media Empowerment Program, where she created a database of Arab and Muslim American speakers and ensured that their stories were told through their own words in the state’s major media outlets.
EPISODE NOTES
Episode transcript