Press Conference in Raleigh Highlights Attacks on Vulnerable Communities and Calls for Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Overview of the Gathering

Leaders from multiple human rights and social justice organizations in the Triangle region convened in Raleigh on Thursday to address escalating attacks on immigrants, refugees, international students, Muslims, and other vulnerable groups. The event also served as a platform to protest ongoing U.S. military engagements abroad.

Context of Current Issues

1. Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have intensified raids on homes, workplaces, and public buildings.
2. International students face deportations and visa terminations, with some leaving the United States.
3. Incidents of crimes targeting Muslim communities are increasing, prompting federal hate crime investigations.

For example, a recent ICE raid in Kings Mountain resulted in over two dozen detentions. Additionally, a 15-year-old Muslim girl was injured in a classroom altercation in Charlotte, triggering a federal hate crime probe. According to a March 2025 report by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), anti-Muslim and anti-Arab complaints in the U.S. rose by 7.4% in 2024, reaching the highest levels since data collection began in 1996.

Link to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The issues raised directly relate to several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including:

• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities – Addressing discrimination and attacks against marginalized groups.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions – Advocating for protection against unlawful searches, hate crimes, and promoting justice.
• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being – Ensuring safety and well-being for vulnerable populations.
• SDG 4: Quality Education – Protecting international students and promoting inclusive education environments.

Root Causes and Advocacy

Manzoor Cheema, organizer with Muslims for Social Justice and People’s Power Lab, emphasized that these attacks stem from U.S. domestic and foreign policies, including military actions abroad and discriminatory laws such as the Muslim travel ban and anti-Sharia legislation. He identified systemic racism, rooted in the country’s history of slavery and anti-Black racism, as a fundamental cause.

Muslims for Social Justice aims to educate the public that Islamophobia constitutes a form of racism, aligning with SDG 10’s goal to reduce inequalities and discrimination.

Coalition Efforts and Community Organizing

The coalition, known as the People’s Power Lab, includes diverse groups such as churches, Jewish, Muslim, atheist organizations, labor unions, and LGBTQ+ groups. Their focus areas include:

• Educating communities about their 4th Amendment rights against unlawful search and seizure.
• Opposing surveillance and over-policing.
• Combating racism and Islamophobia.

This coalition prioritizes organizing marginalized workers, unemployed individuals, those lacking healthcare, and families affected by incarceration, supporting SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being).

Local Initiatives for Systemic Change

Reform Raleigh, part of the coalition, advocates for reallocating city resources from policing to community-based crisis response programs, similar to Durham’s HEART program. This initiative supports SDG 16 by promoting peaceful and inclusive societies.

Nique Williams, organizer with Reform Raleigh, highlighted the importance of political education and community self-care over reliance on police forces.

Demands to Elected Leaders

The coalition’s demands from local, state, and national officials include:

• An end to unjust U.S. wars abroad, supporting SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions).
• An immediate halt to attacks on Black, Brown, Muslim, women, working-class, and other impacted communities, aligning with SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).
• Full funding for public schools, healthcare, and housing for all, advancing SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 4 (Quality Education), and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).
• Union protections, fair wages, and dignity for all workers regardless of race, location, religion, or immigration status, promoting SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).

Call to Action

Cheema urged communities to recognize that attacks on Muslims are part of a broader pattern affecting Latinx and Black communities. He emphasized the importance of speaking out against injustice to prevent its replication, reinforcing the principles of SDG 16.

1. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Addressed in the Article

1. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
   • The article highlights attacks on immigrants, refugees, Muslims, and other vulnerable communities, emphasizing social justice and fighting discrimination.
2. SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
   • Issues such as unlawful raids by ICE, hate crimes, over-policing, and demands for justice and protection of rights are central to this goal.
3. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
   • Calls for full funding for healthcare and addressing injuries caused by hate crimes relate to health and well-being.
4. SDG 4: Quality Education
   • Concerns about international students being deported and demands for full funding for public schools connect to education.
5. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
   • Demands for union protections, fair wages, and dignity for all workers regardless of background relate to decent work.
6. SDG 5: Gender Equality
   • Attacks against women and calls for protection of women’s rights are mentioned.
7. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
   • Efforts to reallocate resources from policing to community crisis response programs relate to safer and more inclusive cities.
8. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
   • The coalition of diverse groups working together reflects partnerships to achieve social justice.

2. Specific Targets Under the Identified SDGs

1. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
   • Target 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including discrimination based on race, religion, or immigration status.
2. SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
   • Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere.
   • Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all.
   • Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable, and transparent institutions at all levels.
3. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
   • Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including access to quality essential health-care services.
4. SDG 4: Quality Education
   • Target 4.a: Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive.
5. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
   • Target 8.5: Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men.
   • Target 8.8: Protect labor rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers.
6. SDG 5: Gender Equality
   • Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls.
7. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
   • Target 11.7: Provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces.
8. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
   • Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships.

3. Indicators Mentioned or Implied in the Article

1. Indicator for SDG 10.3
   • Number of complaints or incidents related to discrimination and hate crimes (e.g., 8,658 anti-Muslim or anti-Arab incidents reported in 2024).
2. Indicators for SDG 16.1 and 16.3
   • Number of hate crimes reported and investigated (e.g., federal hate crime investigation triggered by the attack on a Muslim girl).
   • Number of unlawful raids and detentions by law enforcement agencies (e.g., ICE raids and deportations).
3. Indicator for SDG 3.8
   • Access to healthcare services for vulnerable communities (implied by calls for full funding for healthcare).
4. Indicator for SDG 4.a
   • Number of international students able to continue education without visa termination (implied by deportation of international students).
5. Indicators for SDG 8.5 and 8.8
   • Employment rates and fair wage coverage among marginalized groups (implied by demands for union protections and fair wages).
6. Indicator for SDG 5.2
   • Incidence of violence against women in affected communities.
7. Indicator for SDG 11.7
   • Existence and effectiveness of community-based crisis response programs outside police departments (e.g., Durham’s HEART program).
8. Indicator for SDG 17.17
   • Number and diversity of partnerships and coalitions formed among social justice groups (e.g., coalition of churches, labor unions, and advocacy groups).

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: indyweek.com