CrowdFunding, Ethnic Profiling and the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour!

It was 2007 and it was a great night at the Warner Theater in Washington, DC. I had finally gotten a chance to see the funny comedians from the "Axis of Evil" group, a bunch of mainly American comedians of Middle East descent led by the Iranian-American, Maz Jobrani. They were funny, the crowd was engaged and overall it was a night to remember. I even ran into Queen Noor of Jordan! Of all the jokes I remember, is that, if you are a Middle Eastern descent, you always want to have a "white" friend with you specially if you are going through the security at the airport! Security will treat you better!! Of course we all laughed! it was funny and it was true...comedians are society's social commentators...racism and ethnic profiling have been an integral part of American history and culture, and in 2016 its making a big come back!

Whether you are going through security at the airport, or transferring money from one bank to another, or buying a phone at the Apple Store, or writing down math equation on a piece of paper, everyone is watching you as if you are a terrorist. Not everyone who is brown, black, and has an accent and speaks a language other than English is a terrorist, planning a terrorist act or financing terror!

Did you know race and ethnic-profiling has permeated fund-raising too! Really? yeah really! But please don't be surprised!

Recently I decided to raise funds for a development project for Shindand District, in Afghanistan. My first approach was using crowdfunding, where I could ask people around the world to help me raise the money to get our work started in Afghanistan. The project (if funded) would focus on education, health, agriculture and other relevant programs. Based on a brief review of crowdfunding website, I chose gofundme, the registration was easy and I registered and started to reach out to people and ask for funding. I knew it would be an uphill battle. But just few days into the campaign I got this message;

Hi Behzad,

Dec 16 04:41 PM
I apologize, but we’re not able to process payments for your account. Our banks and processors hold us to a strict guideline on what we can and cannot process through our site. Unfortunately, we will not be able to provide you or your donation campaign with our services. I do apologize again, and wish you and your efforts the best going forward.

Thank you for your understanding.

So I replied,

Dec 17 12:43 AM           

I received a reply. There is no explanation why you don't want to process my payments for my campaign. You have strict guidelines against who?

 Please explain.

Thank you.
B

I got the exact statement I had received previously!!

 Hi Behzad,

Dec 17 08:56 AM

I apologize, but we’re not able to process payments for your account. Our banks and processors hold us to a strict guideline on what we can and cannot process through our site. Unfortunately, we will not be able to provide you or your donation campaign with our services. I do apologize again, and wish you and your efforts the best going forward.

Thank you for your understanding.

--------------------------------

They could not give me an explanation on why they could not process my payment! I met all the requirements they asked for which is 1) Having an American address 2) Having a social security number and 3) Having an American bank account. So what is the problem? Why can't I be able to raise funds on gofundme? Is it because at the time I lived in Ghana? that I have a name that is not Bob, Brad or Billy? is it because I am raising money for Afghanistan? What if someone by the name of Richard Branson or Ben Afflack, Joe Smith, or Lisa Hightower was raising the money, would they block him/her? [By the way i tried to raise fund again this time from the US but same thing happened!)

It is disappointing but not surprising that people are profiled even when they are trying to educate, build and develop communities in a much needed area. I removed my campaign appeal on gofundme.

I look back at that night at the Warner Theater and sadly one of the new jokes can be about crowdfunding, if you are going to use crowdfunding sites and you are of certain ethnicity you might want to consider looking for other funding options. 

Appeal for Our First Global Effort: Shindand Development Program!

Over the past few months I have shared with you my career and life experiences, from organizing a pre-youth football tournament in Ghana, to the struggle for girls' education in Afghanistan, from the bitter conflict in the Middle East to the triumphant efforts of a simple farmer in Burkina Faso.

My blog has and will continue to be about stories and topics that effect the average citizen around the world and his/her struggle to survive and contribute to the betterment of her/his community.

My interest, passion, and commitment is to lead a program that ensures humanitarian assistance and aid is delivered honestly and exclusively to people and communities that are in need. Aid whose planning is done in consultation with the beneficiary not the goals, and interests of the donor. Aid that is delivered by a donor that puts people central to its activities and not short term political or national interest goals.

It is against this background that, using the Crowd Funding option, I would like to raise funds to implement a development program in Shindand District, located in western part of Afghanistan. I chose this area firstly because it truly needs resources to improve the lives of the men, women and the youth. Secondly it is the strong bond that I cultivated with the people of Shindand when I worked there, and it is their current appeal directly to me to help their district.  Though it will be a challenging enterprise, I believe that together we and the people of Shidnand and Afghanistan can make things better and put this part of our globe on the road to recovery and growth.

I am not a famous person, a celebrity or a person of influence. I am not a non-governmental or a big governmental donor agency and I know raising this money will be an uphill battle. But I believe that your spirit of generosity and ultimately the human desire to help his/her fellow human being will triumph and we will get our first program underway! You will have an honest partner in me, my associates, and most importantly the people of Shindand.

If you want to know more about my background, please read About Me on this blog. Please contact me if you have any questions.

I thank each and everyone of you in advance.

Lets make it happen!

Inspired by Lucky Dube in St.Kitts and Nevis

“Freedom fighter standing on a mountain, in a foreign country, trying to send a message to his people…” Lucky Dube

The music blared from the mini-van’s tape player, as it got to Sandy Point... “Stay!” I said, asking the driver to stop. The vehicle stopped, I stepped out, and gave my fare to the driver asking him who the singer was? “Lucky Dube!” he replied with his thick Kittitian accent. That was my first introduction to the great reggae singer from South Africa. The year was 1991 and I was on the Island of St.Kitts, in the Eastern Caribbean. Living in St.Kitts connected me to the rich culture of the Caribbean and the West Indies, a culture that has taken in Africans, Ameri-Indians, Indians, Chinese, Lebanese, European and everything in between. In the one year that I lived and worked there, I played football for a second division club, taught pre-youth and youth classes, ate mangoes, skinips, drank coconut juice, Ting and ginger beer and enjoyed salt-fish, goat water and Johnny Cakes. All along, in this journey of discovery, were the songs of Lucky Dube that spoke about the human struggle for justice, search for peace and the individual’s spirit of triumph and failure.

Later on when I went to George Washington University, in Washington, DC, Lucky Dube’s music kept me company during the difficult days of writing the long term papers and the days when negativity overtook me. From Washington, I went to Ghana. At the time if you liked Lucky Dube, Ghana was your country, his music was played everywhere, If you were sitting in a tro-tro (a mini-van), on a bus going to Accra,  Kumasi, Takradi, Tamale, Kintampo, Bolgatanga, in a bar, restaurant or a chop bar, walking down the street you heard Lucky Dube. He kept me and millions in Ghana and around the world inspired.  

Years after I had returned from Ghana, driving on 495 in northern Virginia going to work, listening to the radio, the news came that Lucky Dube had been murdered in his home country of South Africa! Like millions around the world I was shocked and saddened by his death! How can someone kill a human being like Lucky Dube?!!

Seven years after his death, sitting here in Accra, I remember that bus ride to Sandy Point as the song blared from the tape player;

“All he dreams about is the freedom of the nation,

When every man will be equal in the eyes of the law;

As he closes his eyes

For the last time he said again!”