Hi y’all and welcome to my page! My name is Rasha Mubarak and I am a Palestinian Muslim American community activist. After 15 years in this work, whether being in the movement as an organizer or in the political space as an activist, I have seen many times how people and whole communities are left behind for the sake of elevating a single issue or winning a political campaign. For me, leaving behind one community--or even one person-is far too many. Can we truly achieve liberation under the assumption that freedom for one person comes at the expense of another? Though campaigns can be tempted to compromise on human freedom, operating from a place of solidarity frees us from those temptations. I am constantly recommitting myself to that solidarity.
Throughout my years in advocacy and grassroots organizing -- I have mobilized in the streets, roamed the halls of power, and advocated from the newsrooms to the courtrooms to center our most vulnerable communities. I have moved through these spaces en route to achieving a better world, one that exhibits freedom, justice, and equality. It can be challenging to navigate this complicated realm of unconditioned activism, and I am continuously learning. But as someone who has herself experienced marginalization as a Woman of Color -- even in the most progressive of spaces--for being vocal on my consistent support of human rights--inclusive of Palestinian human rights--I have become seasoned in understanding what it means to truly be an unapologetic movement builder.
As a person of conscience, I understand that it’s dangerous and counterproductive to sacrifice the rights of some as “exceptions”' to the human rights of all. I am inspired by Shirley Chisolhm’s call to be “unbossed and unbought”. I am compelled to contribute to the legacies and work of Chisholm and so many Black and Brown women--then and now. Like them, I understand that the electoral process, alone, won't liberate us and I believe that power is attainable without forfeiting our values.
In 1969 Shirley Chisholm made history by becoming the first Black woman elected to Congress. She was a leader who had the audacity to fight for equality and demanded respect for the Black community and for women. Chisholm was successful and impactful because she was unshakably, “unbought and unbossed.”
POWER can be achieved without sacrificing our principles: we need to consistently place people over profit and reject toxic preservation of the status quo. UNBOUGHT POWER works to train and build people power, advocate for community issues through legislative power, and elect those who share values, into power -- via the only way that will lead to collective liberation, equality, and freedom for all: UNBOUGHT.
