Vigilant Love

Vigilant Love is a solidarity-based grassroots organization challenging Islamophobia in Los Angeles through arts, healing and activism.

History

Vigilant Love came together after the San Bernardino shooting in December 2015, building upon intentional solidarity-building between Los Angeles-based Muslims and Japanese Americans to resist Islamophobia after 9/11. We are guided by a multi-ethnic, intergenerational, inter-spiritual Steering Committee (SC), as well as our partners from impacted and allied communities. Our SC includes organizers, artists, attorneys, policy advocates, and healers who hold immigrant, LGBTQ, Muslim, Japanese- and Asian-American experiences. 

Vision 

In the face of cyclical violence, we envision the embodiment of vigilant love amongst generations of multi-ethnic and inter-spiritual community who create pathways to liberation and healing together.

Mission

Vigilant Love creates spaces for connection and grassroots movement to protect the safety and justice of communities impacted by Islamophobia and violence in the greater Los Angeles area. Vigilant Love unites artists, organizers & communities to build collective healing & to counter Islamophobia and other forms of violence. Our organizing model combines policy advocacy with meaningful community building, as we believe that our fight for change must also mobilize, heal and empower our communities. 

Values 

• Art Activism: the importance of integrating and uplifting the arts in our activism and community organizing 
• Shura (Consultation): the importance of all our decisions to be collective and informed by our community's experiences 
• Relationship Building: the key to building successful and long-lasting movements
• Healing Justice: the need to center healing approaches and practices in anti-racism and anti-Islamophobia work
• Transformation: the urgent need for individual and systemic change that moves away from systems designed to harm us and instead creates meaningful pathways to healing and liberation
• Anti-Oppression: Anti-racist, Abolitionist, queer & trans affirming, and Anti-Zionist 

To learn more, visit www.vigilantlove.org.