Sakhi for South Asian Survivors raises more than $1 Million at 35th Anniversary Gala

The Glasshouse, NYC, full of attendees for the 35th anniversary gala of Sakhi for South Asian Survivors, April 26, 2024. PHOTO: Christian Fiore, courtesy Sakhi
Sakhi for South Asian Survivors (sakhi.org), formerly known as Sakhi for South Asian Women, a pioneering nonprofit, commemorated its 35th Anniversary Gala at The Glasshouse in New York City on April 26. 2024. It celebrated the organization’s impact and announced its new identity. The evening raised over $1Million for the organization through ticket sales, donations and a live auction, Sakhi said in a press release. Kavita Mehra, executive director and Beesham A. Seecharan, board chair of Sakhi, in a shared statement, said they were excited about the new chapter with its new name. “Our new identity makes our commitmentSakhi Gala 2024 held April 26, at Glasshouse NYC , seen in photo, the 3 honorees.From left, Nisha Pahuja, Poorna Jagannathan, and Mohamed Q. Amin on the Red Carpet. PHOTO: Mandar Parab, courtesy Sakhi
abundantly clear: survivors are at the center of our work.” Three leaders “who have demonstrated a commitment to gender justice throughout their professional life,” were honored at the event — Actress & Producer Poorna Jagannathan, Immigrant Rights Activist Mohamed Q. Amin, and Oscar and Emmy Nominated Filmmaker Nisha Pahuja. The gala, themed “Threads of Transformation: Resist. Reclaim. Rise.,” paid tribute to individuals who have demonstrated unwavering commitment to gender justice.
Kavita Mehra, Nisha Pahuja, Poorna Jaganathan, Mohamed Q Amin, Beesham A Seecharan. PHOTO; BFA,Courtesy Sakhi
More than 600 guests attended the landmark event, including high profile indivivuals Sendhil Ramamurthy, Aasif Mandvi, Sarita Choudhary, Prabal Gurung and Ali Sethi. Also featured were performances by Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Raja Kumari, along with other artists. Jagannathan shared her thoughts, saying, “I’ve always been deeply drawn to Sakhi’s mission and work. As a survivor myself, I know Sakhi is a lifeline to so many. Being honored at their 35th anniversary gala was not just an acknowledgment; it was a chance to shed light on the inherent power of survivors and transform the
Raja Kumari performing April 26, 2024, at Sakhi 35th Anniversary Gala in NYC. PHOTO: Mandar Parab, courtesy Sakhi
narrative.” Amin expressed his gratitude to the organization, saying, “Thank you, Sakhi, for acknowledging me – all facets of me as a Queer, Indo-Caribbean, Muslim immigrant, and leader in New York. Your tireless efforts not only protect women and gender-expansive individuals but also honor the legacy, struggles, and
Actress Sarita Choudhury at Sakhi’s 35th anniversary gala in NYC, April 26, 2024. PHOTO: BFA, Courtesy Sakhi
resilience of thousands of South Asian immigrants.” Pahuja said, “As a filmmaker dedicated to leveraging my craft to drive change in dismantling gender norms, I’m deeply inspired by Sakhi and their unwavering commitment and pioneering role in this arena, particularly within the South Asian community.”Since its establishment in 1989, Sakhi has been dedicated to working with survivors of gender-based violence through a multifaceted approach encompassing direct services, advocacy and organizing, technical assistance, and community outreach.Sakhi for South Asian Survivors raises more than $1 Million at 35th Anniversary Gala
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Don't Blame Me: Taylor Swift's influence attracts conspiracy theories

WASHINGTON - A Fox News host suggested this week that Taylor Swift is a "front for a covert political agenda," echoing disinformation that has percolated in right-wing circles for months -- and which experts say will likely get worse before the 2024 US election.

The Jesse Watters segment warning Swift could be a "Pentagon asset" offered the latest conspiracy theory exploiting the singer-songwriter's fame and her past support for Democrats such as President Joe Biden.

Attacks targeting Swift in recent months have ranged from personal barbs to accusations of witchcraft and speculation about her political involvement.

"Have you ever wondered why or how she blew up like this? Well, around four years ago, the Pentagon psychological operations unit floated turning Taylor Swift into an asset during a NATO meeting," Watters said Tuesday, resurfacing a clip from a 2019 summit by NATO's cyber defense hub.

But the video's only mention of Swift comes during a presentation on how social influence could counter misinformation, when a researcher unaffiliated with NATO cited the singer as an example of a popular celebrity.

"As for this conspiracy theory, we are going to shake it off," Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told AFP, referencing one of Swift's hits.

Watters also brought up a reported traffic surge on Vote.org in September -- immediately after Swift posted an Instagram story encouraging fans to participate in National Voter Registration Day -- to posit that someone "got to her from the White House or from wherever."

Reached by AFP, Swift publicist Tree Paine pointed to the nonprofit CEO's response to Watters's claims.

"Our partnership with @taylorswift13 is helping all Americans make their voices heard at the ballot box," Andrea Hailey said on X, formerly Twitter. "Not a psy-op or a Pentagon asset."

Watters -- whose primetime show is the second-most watched cable news show in the United States, drawing an average audience of nearly 2.5 million viewers -- conceded later during the segment that he "obviously has no evidence" for the claims.

Fox News declined to comment on the record for this story.

- Exploiting celebrity -

GETTY/Getty Images via AFP/File | JAMIE SQUIRE

Already a megastar, Swift's stature grew in 2023, as she broke music records, performed the highest-grossing music tour in history and began dating American football player Travis Kelce. Time magazine named her Person of the Year.

As Swift's star rose, so did attacks against her. Fringe influencers such as far-right radio host Stew Peters accused her of witchcraft at concerts and claimed she was "responsible for murder" after Kelce appeared in a vaccine ad.

Doctored images shared online falsely linked her to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, while several conservative commentators have insulted her private life and appearance. Activist Charlie Kirk asked on one podcast if she has "any eggs left."

"The way in which it is happening is very gendered because it is relatively easier to attach incredulous disinformation claims to female celebrities," said Swapnil Rai, an assistant media professor at the University of Michigan.

Claims that Swift is a Democratic operative were bubbling up online before Watters mainstreamed them.

"I SAID IT FROM THE BEGINNING," a top promoter of the QAnon conspiracy theory said after Watters's segment. "Not only is Taylor ADMITTEDLY a satanic witch, but she's also being used as a PENTAGON PSYOP ASSET to swing MANY THOUSANDS of youth votes over to the Democrats."

- 'MAGA vs Swifties' -

Laura Loomer, a far-right former congressional candidate who has repeatedly amplified the "psyop" claims, has said that "2024 will be MAGA vs Swifties."

The superstar is likely to play a role in the election -- albeit not as a "Pentagon asset."

"I cannot think of another celebrity whose endorsement and activities on behalf of a candidate would be more coveted," said David Jackson, a political science professor at Bowling Green State University, adding that he expects more attacks as the election approaches.

The famously tight-lipped Swift remained quiet during former president Donald Trump's 2016 campaign, but she later criticized him and endorsed Biden in 2020.

More recently, she spoke against the Supreme Court's decision to overturn abortion rights, and urged concertgoers to research which politicians support LGBTQ communities and vote against legislation "harmful" to them.

"I suspect that conservatives are concerned about the power she might have to rejuvenate interest among younger Democratic voters," said Johanna Blakley, a media scholar at the University of Southern California.

"Putting a disinformation (or) psyops spin on her role in the election seems like a thoroughly disingenuous effort to undermine and potentially pre-empt Swift's likely endorsement of Biden."

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How antiwar student protests are spreading across U.S. universities

Minouche Shafik, the president of Columbia University, testified before Congress last week. MUST CREDIT: Haiyun Jiang for The Washington Post

Merlin Van Alstine, a University of Minnesota student and an organizer with the school’s chapter of Students for a Democratic Society, had watched for four days as hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters at other college campuses were arrested.

Van Alstine, 21, and about 30 other students were inspired to set up their own encampment. By Tuesday morning, nine of her fellow demonstrators were arrested and charged with trespassing.

It was one of the latest examples of pro-Palestinian protests sweeping college campuses across the country with students demanding that their universities cut ties or reveal their involvement with corporations doing business with Israel or profiting off the war in Gaza.

The arrest of more 100 student protesters at Columbia University on Thursday has sparked solidarity protests at colleges across the nation, from Yale University and MIT on the East Coast to Ohio State University in the middle of the country and Stanford University and the University of California at Berkeley out west.

This is how the burgeoning protest movement started, escalated and spread – and where it might go from here. Commencements for the class of 2024 begin in weeks.

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A protest at Columbia

Last Wednesday, protesters set up tents on the South Lawn of Columbia University and flew Palestinian flags. They held demonstrations in which they chanted, banged on noise makers and denounced the “genocide” in Gaza.

But around midafternoon the next day, New York police began breaking up a protest at Columbia, arresting demonstrators who had occupied a campus lawn in support of Palestinians.

This came at the request of Columbia President Minouche Shafik, who had written to the New York Police Department earlier in the day to tell them that protesters had been trespassing on the South Lawn of the university’s Morningside Heights campus and represented “a clear and present danger to the substantial function of the University.”

She requested that the department send officers to campus to remove them. In total, 108 were arrested.

The protest came a day after Shafik testified before Congress, pledging to lawmakers during a hearing on antisemitism to balance students’ safety with their right to free speech.

Shafik told members of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce that balancing the free speech rights of those who want to protest with the rights of Jewish students to be free of harassment and discrimination at Columbia has been the central challenge on campus. Her hearing followed one in December in which three other university presidents – from Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and MIT – were scrutinized over their testimony before Congress, during which they declined to say calls for the genocide of Jews would violate campus policies. The leaders of Harvard and Penn later resigned.

– – –

More student antiwar protests

There weren’t as many protests on Friday and over the weekend, but starting Monday, protests sprang up at college campuses across the country, including at New York University, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and the University of Michigan.

At Yale, 47 students are arrested. Officers gave one warning around 6 a.m. and within minutes began arresting protesters who had been camped out on Beinecke Plaza.

Those students were charged, processed and released – and almost all of them reconvened at an off-campus intersection near Beinecke to join hundreds of others to continue their protest as New Haven police blocked the intersection and looked on.

Meanwhile, on Monday night, 120 protesters were arrested at NYU’s campus. And on the West Coast, students at California State Polytechnic at Humboldt barricaded themselves inside a building, the campus went on lockdown, and administrators eventually closed the campus through Wednesday; the university urged people to stay away from the “dangerous and volatile situation” at the hall and said it was “deeply concerned about the safety of the protesters.”

– – –

Where do the antiwar protests go next?

After the nine arrests at the University of Minnesota on Tuesday, the movement made its way to the District. On Tuesday, hundreds of American University students marched to the president’s office building to demand that the administration divest from Israel.

The protest came a day after the school’s undergraduate senate passed a nonbinding resolution calling for divestment, to which President Sylvia Burwell said in a statement that the resolution “does not represent American University’s position and will not be implemented.”

Freshman Kaden Ouimet said that despite Burwell’s rejection, protesters would not be deterred in large part because they knew they had compatriots at colleges around the country.“We will not be demoralized,” said Ouimet, a political science major and senator at-large in student government. “And although the path to divestment is a long and treacherous one, campuses are standing in solidarity.”How antiwar student protests are spreading across U.S. universities
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