When Miriam Blas first came to the United States from Mexico in 2007, she found herself having difficulty navigating her new environment. One of Miriam’s first priorities was to learn more about her new community in order to make life easier for herself and her four children. Miriam enrolled in CIANA’s Civics classes in January 2020 to prepare for the citizenship test, which would open up a world of opportunities for her and her family. She hasn't taken the test yet but has e

Emira Habiby Browne, CIANA’s Founder and CEO, was featured in an article from the Asian American Writers’ Workshop, focusing on anti-Muslim and anti-Arab discrimination following the September 11 terrorist attacks, which took place 20 years ago. Titled “We Were Not Allowed to Mourn,” the piece was published on September 17 and features several prominent Arab and Muslim American activists describing the fear, isolation, and “othering” that they and many others in the Muslim Am

20 years ago, following the September 11 terrorist attacks, the United States was brought together in shared solidarity and grief for the nearly 3,000 civilians killed that day. However, the fear that arose from the 9/11 tragedy produced intense bigotry towards Muslim Americans which still continues to this day. Background of Anti-Muslim Bias in the United States Xenophobia is not new to the U.S.; there is a long history of intolerance of non-white immigrants and discriminati

“We didn’t know English so it was hard for us to speak to people. Also, we didn’t have anyone from our family here.” Elementary School Tutoring student Maryam first moved to the United States from Bangladesh along with her parents in 2013 when she was only three years old. In 2014, after just a year of residing in New York, Maryam’s family welcomed her younger sister Jessica in 2014 who went on to CIANA’s after-school program as well. Maryam, now 11, and Jessica, 7, joined C