Tuesday 24 September 2013

Dramatic 180 Last Night!! CAIR-FL Diversity Ad Triumphs at HART Board

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HART Board Unanimously Approves CAIR-FL's Diversity Ad
Following Last Night's Appeal and Testimony from CAIR-FL staff, the HART Board pulls a 180 on discrimination.
 
(TAMPA, FL, 9/24/13) - The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL) scored a big victory for tolerance, acceptance, and the spirit of inclusivity last night at the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART) Board of Directors meeting. Following the August 5th vote of 8-2 rejecting the CAIR-FL Diversity Ad, pictured below, Commissioner Beckner, who, along with Chairwoman Fran Davin, voted to approve our ad, motioned to reconsider the ad in light of our appeal letter we submitted the Board, which you may read here.  

 
After hearing oral arguments from Communications Director Samantha Bowden and the diverse CAIR-FL team of civil rights lawyers including Floyd Hunt, Maria Bogomaz and our Civil Rights Director, Thania Clevenger, various members of the Board batted around different forms of backtracking and reconsiderations. Tampa City Councilman Mike Suarez said that religious groups and civil rights groups were somehow indistinguishable, that if Dr. King and his Southern Christian Leadership Conference for civil rights had submitted an ad, he would have to deny them too. Minutes later, he voted in favor of the diversity ad.
 
Board member John Melendez argued that in case his daughter looks back at the record of his decision, and in light of him becoming aware that HART is currently running ads from Saint Leo University, who identifies as a Catholic institution, who requires students to take religious courses, whereas CAIR-FL has no religious requirements upon its staff or clients, that he intended to reverse his vote.

With characteristic principal and passion, Commissioner Beckner affirmed the deep importance of committing to the values of diversity, inclusivity and respecting the inherent rights of groups and individuals regardless, if not especially because of their backgrounds. He remains, as ever, a principled champion of diversity and justice.

We thank the HART Board of Directors for their wise about-face on this important issue.  
 

 

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
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 CONTACT: CAIR-Tampa Executive Director Hassan Shibly, 813-541-4321,hshibly@cair.com; CAIR Florida Communications Director Samantha Bowden, 703-298-7782, sbowden@cair.com 
This email was sent to tahir911841@gmail.com by info@tampa.cair.com |  
CAIR-Tampa | 8056 N 56th Street | Tampa | FL | 33617

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