The MuslimARC House

Our new home is located in Detroit, Michigan in the neighborhood surrounding The Muslim Center, a mosque and community center in Detroit that “identifies with the leadership of Imam W. Deen Mohammed” and aims to work “for the betterment of the whole society which we all share.” The 1900 square feet house is a duplex with two units (one on the ground floor and one on the second floor), and has a full basement and attic that we will be able to use.

We are working to outfit the house for the following:

• Operational office space: we plan on using at least 2 of the 4 bedrooms as office space for MuslimARC staff, interns, and volunteers (and to rent out to others who might be interested)
• Training and workshop space: we'll be using main rooms to conduct trainings and workshops for small groups and we'll be outfitting the space with tech and tools to brainstorm, strategize, and learn
• Event space: we plan to host events like our ARCircles (anti-racism discussion circles) and other large group gatherings in the basement and yard of the house
• Overnight space: we hope to use some space for lodging for overnight retreat guests, out of town speakers or trainees, and others

We've bought the home and have 6 months to rehab it and get it up to code so we can open our doors. Our newly hired contractor estimates that his team can do it in 3 months. We are on a payment structure as the work begins, so the funds collected with go immediately to paying the contractors for their work on the rehab.

Once we get to the last phase, we'll be looking for donated furniture and other supplies for the home. We hope to open our doors in February 2018 with an official housewarming party.

We need $100k, in total, to bring this resource to our community. We aim to raise $25k of our goal online. Help us by making your online gift here.

MuslimARC's mission is Education for Liberation. We work to:

1. Create spaces for learning and developing racial equity
2. Connect people using digital media, dialogue, and storytelling to foster a multiracial and multiethnic network; and
3. Cultivate solutions to advance racial equity.

We have reached over 10,000 people on the ground in over 30 cities across the United States since launching in 2014.

Detroit is one of the most racially segregated cities in the country and faces numerous pressures due to racist policies and practices. We see these divisions and harms and are looking to root ourselves physically in a neighborhood where we can join with others who are also addressing societal problems. By having a physical space in this neighborhood, we seek to bring everyday people together to unite in working for greater racial equity in Michigan and beyond.

Visit us online at www.muslimarc.org.