About this Podcast:

Season 1, Episode 3: “How to Think Like a Global Citizen” with Farah Salka

Hello CauseGirl and welcome to our third episode with Lebanese-Syrian activist and community organizer Farah Salka, who teaches us how to unnormalize the injustice we see. In the face of war, inhumane conditions and injustice, Farah is doing an inside job fearlessly advocating for migrant women and domestic workers in Lebanon. Her superpower of asking questions and going deeper show us how to find inspiration around us, raise the voice of others, build strength across communities, and even find joy. No matter what society you live in, I hope you will draw many parallels in Farah’s experience living in Lebanon like I did. Farah is on fire in this episode with her words of wisdom.

Here to teach us how to be a global citizen and activist, this is Farah’s story.

• Is being called resilient a double-edge sword?
• The inspiration: Farah’s childhood experience with domestic workers
• Women (Yes, Women!) at the forefront of all activism and organizing in Lebanon
• Hope for the migrant families of Lebanon by unnormalizing daily harm
• Self-care in the form of pandemic cats, travel, and a situation with sad music
• Learning kindness and compassion through travel
• Why happiness shouldn’t be the goal in and of itself and 1,000+ words of wisdom

More about Farah

Farah Salka is co-founder and Executive Director of the Anti-Racism Movement of Lebanon. Her day job is running the seven Migrant Community Centers of Lebanon since 2010. She works on organizing with migrant communities, asylum seekers and migrant domestic workers, around issues of racism, xenophobia, justice and labor justice. She helps them navigate the unjust sponsorship system called Kafala.

Farah is on the Advisory Board of the A-Project in Lebanon and the Doria feminist fund in the MENA, and serves as board member and co-chair of Amsterdam-based Mama Cash, the oldest international fund supporting women’s, girls’, trans groups and feminist movements around the world.

She was featured in Huffington Post for her work in Founding the Anti-Racism Movement. In 2018 Farah was named one of the top 17 amazing Arab women you need to know according to The Wellness Project.

She graduated from the American University of Beirut in 2006 with a BA in Public Administration and Political Science and then received her Master’s degree in Human Rights Law from the University of Malta in 2007.

Farah now adds “Official CauseGirl” to her impressive list of credentials.

CauseGirl call to action in this episode

Farah’s advice on learning, speaking up and taking action:

• Educate yourself about positionality – about where your position is in any space or in any conversation. When should you listen? When should you speak? When should you let others speak?
• Learn the difference between white privilege and other privileges you might have. (It’s absolutely our job to educate ourselves and not wait for somebody else to do it and do the emotional labor that comes with that.)
• Until we all come together, we are all doomed. So there is a lot of work that we all need to be doing for us to get somewhere decent, globally.
• Spread awareness, knowledge, and information when you have it, with the right people.
• There’s a thin line between forceful spreading of knowledge to people who do not want your awareness or knowledge. But there are other places where this is the right thing to do. Start with our own country, community, family, ourselves.
• Take action where action is due. Support in solidarity just by words on social media is not enough. Do what you can, where you can. There is always something one can do if they are looking to be useful.
• Stay true to your heart and do you best at all times.
• Stand up to yourself and to the people around you – even to sisters, brothers, people you care for, don’t care for, people you don’t know, and people who need your help in a situation of injustice.
• To find joy and happiness, find yourself somewhere where you can be giving and getting at the same time.

People Links & Resources in this episode

• Anti-Racism Movement (ARM) of Lebanon launched in 2010 as a grassroots collective by young Lebanese feminist activists in collaboration with migrant workers and migrant domestic workers. ARM can be found at armlebanon.org and at @ARM_Leb on Twitter and Instagram.
• The Migrant Community Centers of Lebanon was born out of ARM. MCC makes meaningful improvements in the quality of life of migrant workers in Lebanon and their capacity to self-advocate to advance their socio-economic rights, and to contribute to a strong and powerful migrant civil society, with a focus on women as leaders of change. The Centers are run by @ARM_Leb and can be found at @MCC_Llebanon on Twitter and Instagram.
• Mama Cash works to ensure every woman, girl, trans and intersex person has the power and resources to participate fully and equally in creating a peaceful, just and sustainable world. Mama Cash grants to over 150 forward-thinking initiatives led by women, girls, trans people and intersex people around the world annually.
• Farah’s interview with the Huffington Post: Vital Collaboration in Lebanon Part I and Part II
• Know Their Names: 6 More Amazing Arab Women – The Wellness Project
• Desmond Tutu

CONNECT WITH US!

• If you haven’t already, follow the CauseGirl podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts and never miss an episode! Don’t forget to rate and review our podcast.
• Let’s keep the conversation going! Find Elena here on Facebook and LinkedIn, and @CauseGirlGlobal on Twitter and Instagram.
• Find Farah Salka on LinkedIn, @Salkation on Twitter and @Salkaa on Instagram.
• We’d be so grateful to hear your takeaways from this conversation. Share your takeaways on Twitter and Instagram or email me directly at elena@thecausegirl.com.
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