Outreach Coor. Gerald Hankerson Speaks at Northwestern
CAIR-Chicago's Outreach Coordinator Gerald Hankerson was a panelist at Northwestern University. He spoke to a class that is a part of the School of Continuing Studies’ Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI). One of 119 OLLIs across the nation, the hosting NU study group, “Immigration: Up Close and Personal”, looks at how Americans perceive immigration and, from the panel, the Muslim community after the attacks on September 11th. Alongside Hankerson were panelists Rashad “Rush” Darwish, host of the online broadcast show Rise Up! and owner of Rush Photography and Video Productions, and Reema Ahmad, community organizer and former Government Affairs Coordinator at CAIR-Chicago.
The panel and study group watched the acclaimed documentary film Fordson: Faith, Fasting, Football. In addition to their comments on the film, the panelists shared their life experiences as Muslim Americans related to September 11th attacks before, the day of, and after. The panel answered questions ranging several issues, including leadership and accountability in the Muslim community, perspectives of gender roles and equity, double standards by the general public, and interfaith dynamics in Chicagoland.