Outreach Coordinator Gerald Hankerson Presents at U.S. Embassy Summit in North Macedonia

Outreach Coordinator Gerald Hankerson Presents at U.S. Embassy Summit in North Macedonia

CAIR-Chicago’s Outreach Coordinator Gerald Hankerson was a U.S. State Department delegate that presented at the "Resilient Youth for Cohesive Communities" summit in North Macedonia. Hankerson was one of three experts invited to travel to the country to speak at the summit to local experts and regional nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).  Longtime partner organization WorldChicago invited CAIR-Chicago given its civil rights efforts in legal advocacy, community outreach, and a strong media presence to foster understanding between Muslim and non-Muslim communities and prevent hate and discrimination.

Hankerson stressed in meetings local and national grassroots efforts to fight against the federal law enforcement initiative Terrorism Prevention Partnerships (TPP), formerly known as Counter Violent Extremism (CVE). Hankerson noted stark contrasts to TPP/CVE’s goals in rooting out terrorists while continuously villainizing Muslims. The initiative violate civil liberties by using surveillance, entrapment, and flawed methods from failed efforts such as the “War on Drugs”.

“While there are unique challenges and opportunities to improve relationships within diverse communities in North Macedonia, our countries actually have interesting paralleled issues,” Hankerson said. “I’m excited for leaders I met and worked with, and so happy that we are willing to continue to support one another for the long term.”