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On February 10th, 2015, Deah Barakat, Yusor Abu-Salha, and Razan Abu-Salha were brutally murdered in a hate crime. Their deaths shook the local community and shockwaves were felt around the world. Their deaths left young Muslims in America feeling lost, scared, and heartbroken. Instead of responding with hate and darkness, the local community responded to this tragic event by providing a source of light for young Muslims and the community at large. With inspiration from Deah, Yusor, and Razan's work during their short lives, the Light House Project was born. The Light House Project provides a safe space physically by giving Muslims a place to meet and be open with their Muslim identity, and it provides a safe space for young Muslims by giving support to projects and programs that young Muslims want to pursue. The Light House Project's mission is to empower Muslim youth by giving them the resources and voice they need to achieve their goals and pursue their passions.
Kaushal Gandhi (UNC School of Dentistry Class of 2017) remember Deah Barakat and Yusor Abu-Salha. Picture From Left to Right: Deah Barakt, Yusor Abu-Salha, Kaushal Gandhi --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In February 2015, the UNC School of Dentistry lost two of its own: Deah Barakat, a member of DDS 2017, and Yusor Abu-Salha, a member of then-incoming DDS 2019. As a way to remember and honor Deah and Yusor’s lives and love of serving their community, that fall the student body decided to dedicate a day to these same activities in the local Triangle area. The day is named Directing Efforts And Honoring Deah And Yusor — or DEAH DAY for short. It’s designed to be a day where DDS, dental hygiene and dental assisting students go out into the local community and spend time giving back in honor of those the school lost. For More Information: www.dentistry.unc.edu/service/student/deahday/
Nada Salem (UNC School of Dentistry, Class of 2019) remembers Yusor Abu-Salha. Picture: A picture of Nada Salem (Left) and Yusor Abu-Salha (Right). --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In February 2015, the UNC School of Dentistry lost two of its own: Deah Barakat, a member of DDS 2017, and Yusor Abu-Salha, a member of then-incoming DDS 2019. As a way to remember and honor Deah and Yusor’s lives and love of serving their community, that fall the student body decided to dedicate a day to these same activities in the local Triangle area. The day is named Directing Efforts And Honoring Deah And Yusor — or DEAH DAY for short. It’s designed to be a day where DDS, dental hygiene and dental assisting students go out into the local community and spend time giving back in honor of those the school lost. For More Information: www.dentistry.unc.edu/service/student/deahday/
Rafeef Ziadah is a Palestinian poet and human rights activist living in London. Her poem, “We Teach Life, Sir,” is powerful and poignant reminder of the human condition in conflict. On this bonus episode of Stories with a Heartbeat, host Will McInerney reflects on some of the stories from our past episodes covering the Chapel Hill Shooting in season 1. Rafeef's beautiful and moving poetry is emblematic of the legacy and the lasting message of life that Deah Barakat , Yusor Abu Salha , and Razan Abu Salha left behind. Listen to Rafeef's poem with the link below. Download the Bonus Episode Now Season 1 of the Stories with a Heartbeat podcast is over, but you can still download all the episodes today! Stories with a Heartbeat is a new podcast produced by North Carolina Public Radio and hosted by poet Will McInerney that uses poetry and storytelling to help us understand conflict. You can subscribe to this podcast on iTunes , Google Play , or your podcast platform of choice. Check out
Was the Chapel Hill Shooting a parking dispute or a hate crime? In this episode of Stories with a Heartbeat we talk about apologies and personal connections with two people at the heart of this question, reporter Reema Khrais and Chapel Hill Police Chief Chris Blue. Subscribe to this Podcast On February 10th, 2015 Deah Barakat, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, and her sister Razan Abu-Salha were murdered in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. All three young American-Muslims were shot and killed execution style in their home. Their neighbor, Craig Stephen Hicks, turned himself in, was arrested, and charged with three counts of first-degree murder. Two clear narratives started to emerge immediately after the crime. On one hand, family, friends, and community members saw this violent act as a clear hate crime targeting the three young Muslims. Reporter Reema Khrais, a member of the local Muslim community and a reporter covering the story for WUNC, recalls the morning after the murders vividly. I was
In episode three, we follow Farris Barakat to Reyhanli, Turkey where he is working to complete his brother's mission and help Syrian refugee kids smile. Subscribe to this Podcast Stories with a Heartbeat is a new podcast hosted by poet Will McInerney that explores the human condition in conflict through poetry, listening, and conversation. Over the past two episodes, Stories with a Heartbeat has been exploring personal narratives and connections to the Chapel Hill Shootings. On February 10th, 2015 Deah Barakat, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, and her sister Razan Abu-Salha were murdered in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. All three young American-Muslims were shot and killed execution style in their home. The Barakat’s, a Syrian American family, have close ties the region and are known for helping those in need. The summer after the Chapel Hill Shootings, Deah’s brother Farris Barakat, and his father Namee Barakat, went to the Turkish-Syrian border to volunteer. Well actually Deah planned the
In episode two, host Will McInerney talks with reporter Reema Khrais about her personal connections to the Chapel Hill Shootings, and Will travels to the Syrian border to visit a dental clinic named in honor of Deah, Yusor, and Razan. Subscribe to this Podcast Stories with a Heartbeat is a new podcast hosted by poet Will McInerney that explores the human condition in conflict through poetry, listening, and conversation. On February 10th, 2015 Deah Barakat, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, and her sister Razan Abu-Salha were murdered in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. All three young American-Muslims were shot and killed execution style in their home. Last episode on Stories with a Heartbeat, we relived the night of the Chapel Hill Shootings through the eyes of Deah’s brother, Farris Barakat. Shortly after that night, this story echoed around the world as the victims’ legacy was honored from Chapel Hill to the Syrian border, and concerns over hate crimes and Islamophobia moved to the forefront.
In episode one, host Will McInerney talks with Farris Barakat about the night his brother Deah was killed along with Deah's wife Yusor Abu-Salha and sister-in-law Razan Abu-Salha. All three Muslim-Americans were shot execution style in their home. Subscribe to this Podcast Stories with a Heartbeat is a new WUNC podcast about the human condition in conflict. Host Will McInerney is an award-winning poet who travels the globe exploring conflict and what it says about us as people. This podcast weaves together interviews, sound, music and poetic reflection into 15 minutes that will pull listeners in and encourage them to explore friction. "Along the journey, I discovered that conflict is a prism; a window into the human condition. In conflict we see the full spectrum, from the unthinkably worst to the absolute best, from resilience to despair, and from life to death," McInerney says. "So what happens when we break down the simplified and dehumanized narratives we so often hear? What