We Are On The Ballot!!

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: We are Officially in the Primary Election (September 10th) to win the Democratic and Working Families Party endorsement, and we are on the ballot for the General Election (November 5th) in our run for Niagara County Legislature!! I want to THANK our Campaign Team for their hard work, sacrifice, and commitment to making sure I got on the ballot, and their confidence in me to represent the VISION, and PLAN for our community!! ‪#‎NiagaraYouthParty‬ ‪#‎Saladin2013

If you would like to help us purchase lawn signs, you can donate at this link: Lawn Sign Fund

The Challenger Newspaper (Buffalo, NY) July 24th, 2013

 

Thank You in advance for all of your support in helping make this a successful campaign!

Peace,

Saladin‬

Niagara Youth Party
Making History!!



I am excited and proud to announce that for this year's 2013 Local Election, we're creating a new party line that I will be running on called the Niagara Youth Party!! That's right, as an alternative to the every day party politics many of us have grown dissatisfied with, we now have an opportunity to create and VOTE for a Party that best reflects the needs of our families and community!!

The Niagara Youth Party emphasizes unity in our family and communities. Our "four pillars", which serve as guiding principles, are as follows:

YOUTH OUTREACH: increasing activities, opportunities, and community alliances that support the growth and development of our youth. We believe our youth are the ambassadors of our future and must be encouraged, educated, and empowered to be the future leaders of our society.

CRIME PREVENTION: promoting initiatives that address juvenile delinquency, neighborhood safety, and community deterioration. We believe in taking responsibility for the community we live in, and protecting our most vulnerable members; children, women, seniors, and the handicapped.

LOCALISM: investing in local businesses, co-ops, trade programs, home ownership, and education that supports our local economy and maximizes the circulation of each dollar before it leaves our community. We believe in "local first" and that our economy begins with us through: increasing our social capital, lowering taxes, and pooling our ideas, skills, and resources to support each other locally.

HEALTH and WELLNESS: supporting projects, programs, and collaborations that increase the health of our families, and promote wellness in our communities. We believe that healthy families are the vital building blocks of strong communities, and to maintain wellness we must invest in activities that support our spiritual, mental, and physical health.

 

CALLING YOUNG ARTISTS!! BE A PART OF MAKING HISTORY!!

 

To get you all involved, I am having an Art Contest for youth ages 17 and under to come up with an emblem to represent the Niagara Youth Party!!

What are the Rules?

1. Youth must be 17 and under. One art submission per youth.
 

2. Art submission must be an original design that does not include any symbols of the present Political Parties (ex. Democratic, Republican, and etc.)

3. Art submission, whether graphic design or scanned drawing, must be a JPEG format with 300 dpi resolution.

4. To submit Art, the image must be posted to our FB Page Saladin Q. Allah for Niagara County Legislature. All submissions must include the youth's NAME, AGE, LOCATION (City, State, and Country if not the U.S.). Submissions also must include the hashtags: #NiagaraYouthParty #Saladin2013

5. The last date of submission is Friday, August 2nd at 12:00am (EST).

How do we VOTE?

• Go to our FB Page Saladin Q. Allah for Niagara County Legislature.
• Go to our photos and click on the album “Facebook Youth Art Contest”
• "LIKE" which photo you think best represents our Niagara Youth Party.

After the closing date for all submissions, ALL OF YOU will decide which emblem will represent our Niagara Youth Party by going to our Facebook Page and "LIKING" which photo you think best represents our youth!! The TOP THREE images that receive the most "LIKES" by Monday, August 5th at 12:00am will then be voted on, and the image with the most “LIKES” will be the winner of our contest!!

Ms. "Jordan" Ladd

Every "Jordan" Doesn't

Play Basketball

 

Since putting out my FULL PRESS RELEASE I've monitored the various local news sources to see how they'd cover the story. Not one of them have printed my press release in its entirety. All of them took only parts of it, put their own spin on it, and gave it back to the public the way they saw fit. While I do appreciate some of the publicity, there are other things I saw that were completely inaccurate. You can read my FULL PRESS RELEASE here: Saladin Q. Allah Official Press Release

Now, The Niagara Falls Reporter printed, and I quote, "Allah is a convert to Islam and changed his name as is customary for Muslims converts."

I am not sure where they got this from. I never spoke to anyone from The Niagara Falls Reporter about the weather let alone religion. I never said that, it's not in my press release, it's not in anything I've published online, and it is completely inaccurate. I am not Muslim nor was my name change for religious reasons. The Niagara Falls Reporter did accurately state, "Allah says his ancestor was Rev. Josiah Henson, who is said to be the inspiration for the fugitive slave in 'Uncle Tom's Cabin'." Yet it's this very part of my ancestry that would have given them more insight about me, my family background, and my name change if they asked me. Since they didn't, I can tell you directly.

 

Article in the Niagara Gazette about my Grandmother Inez Frank (1986)

 When some of my ancestors were brought to America during the trans-atlantic slave trade, they were enslaved and forced to give up their cultural identity, regardless of their religious ideology. They no longer were allowed to speak their own language, use their own names, maintain the same diet, or even establish stable family units. This process continued, by law, for approximately nine generations or three hundred and ten years. So while some people of Italian descent can trace their last name to an actual village in modern day Italy, or others can trace their lineage to a Family Crest or Coat of Arms, tracing my lineage has consisted of looking at cargo logs for ships or doing DNA tracking to find out the geographic location of my ancestors. The trans-atlantic slave trade, and slavery, interrupted the cultural identity and arrested the development of an entire group people. It interrupted the cultural identity and arrested the development of the people enslaved and the slave holders.

In indigenous societies of the past and today, our birth names where a central part of our cultural identity and role we played within our societies. For example, when a child was born a name would be given to them, usually by our elders, to communicate a part of that child's purpose and destiny. This was sacred and ceremonial, not done without consideration. If the child's name meant "sincere counsel", that was an important role our elders knew our society needed to birth and cultivate. It's no different than people giving birth to a child and providing them with all the support and resources they need to become a productive member of society. Many of our ancestors wisely took it a step further by making sure this support was reinforced by a person's actual name. So instead of simply providing a child with the resources to become sincere counsel, we gave them that name to live up to as an attribute. During slavery this cultural tradition was interrupted. Slaves who were bred to produce children for labor no longer had the power to name them. These children were sold off to other plantations and given names to identify them as a master's property. So a slave named "Smith" was identified as Master Smith's slave. "Walking Henson" was known as Henson's slave who walked alot. Not only was this naming method used to track the slave masters property, but it was also used for insurance purposes. There are many wealthy companies and families today, that accumulated their wealth, from Slave Insurance.

Many present day African-Americans can trace the last names we currently have, whether it's English, French, or etc. directly to the slave masters who once owned our ancestors. Again, regardless of our ancestors religious views or how we chose to worship, this slavery system legally interrupted our cultural identity and arrested the development of us all.

 

Article in the Buffalo News and letter from African Ancestry Inc.
about my International Family Tree Project (2005)

The reason I legally changed my name was to reconnect to my ancestors cultural identity, and build upon this rich legacy that was almost entirely destroyed. In 2005 I received a grant for my L.I.F.E. Afterschool Program and partnered with the Washington DC based genetics company African Ancestry Inc. to create an International Family Tree Project. With this Project I was able to provide twenty DNA Kits, free of charge, to families in our Community, Pittsburgh, Missouri, and Canada who were interested in finding out where their maternal ancestry came from. I found out my maternal ancestors came from Cameroon and my tribal affiliation is the Tikar Tribe. Saladin, pronounced Sa-la-dean means "Honor or Righteousness of the faith". A great Muslim King popularized this Arabic name, yet the name is Arabic, not Muslim. Arabic does not equal Muslim and to assume that would be no different than assuming my nephew plays basketball just because he has the name "Jordan." My middle name Quanaah, pronounced Kwa-ni-ah means "fragrant". In honor of my indigenous american (native american) ancestry, I chose this name. It's Quahadi in origin and comes from the Last Comanche Chief Quanah Parker; who successfully made the transition from Chief to Statesman and was responsible for founding The Native American Church. My last name, Allah, is also Arabic which means "The God." Again, Arabic does not equal Muslim. There are many arabic speaking Christians and other Religions who refer to God as Allah, simply because they speak the arabic language. So my name, Saladin Quanaah Allah, means "The honorable faith and fragrance of the God." Since taking this step to change my name in 1999, I have since published a book entitled 'How To Change Your Name Without A Lawyer' and have assisted many others change their name for various reasons (cultural, religious, stage name, immigrants, and etc.)

In closing, I didn't appreciate the Niagara Falls Reporter for even citing what they believe my religion to be, making an assumption about what it is, and then printing misinformation without even asking me about my worldview or my reasoning for changing my name. That was poor reporting and prejudiced. I am a scientist of life and study all religions. I am just as much Muslim as our Commander and Chief, President Barack Hussein Obama. My perspective about any religion is that people should strive to have a personal relationship with who they worship. A relationship that's so personal, that they strive to live in such a way that others can see their creator within them.

Peace,
Saladin

 

Saladin Q. Allah for Niagara County Legislature

Twitter: @Saladin_2013

 

 Saladin Q. Allah
for
Niagara County Legislature

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

July  8th, 2013

 
Youth Mentor, Published Author, and Community Activist Saladin Q. Allah has announced his candidacy for the Fourth District Niagara County Legislature seat in the City of Niagara Falls, New York

Niagara Falls, New York -- Saladin Q. Allah said that he is seeking the seat of Fourth District County Legislator because he believes that his vision to expand youth outreach, increase community alliances and initiatives, promote neighborhood safety and crime prevention, and to develop a local living economy is what his district both wants and needs.

 
“I was born in the City of Niagara Falls into a family of seven,” he said. “My parents, Lois and Philip Frank, were pillars within the same Community that I was raised in, and that I am seeking to represent as our next Niagara County Legislator.”

 
Allah said that he knows what it is to both struggle and serve; and he believes that his parents set a great example for him in that his mother, Lois Frank, received her Bachelor’s of Arts Degree from Niagara University at the age of forty-two, majoring in psychology and a minoring in sociology. She had seven children at that time and she went on to become a case manager for both Community Missions and for Family and Children's Services. She later served as a Director of the Niagara Community Center.

 
Allah’s father, Philip Frank, served as a member of the National Guard and completed a machinist apprenticeship program during his twelve-years working at Carborundum. Philip later became a member of the Painters Union Local for another twelve years.

Just as Allah is proud of the example that his parents set, he is just as proud as the one Josiah Henson, his great-great-great grandfather, set was a forerunner of the Underground Railroad. Harriet Beecher Stowe merged elements of Henson’s life into her popular anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, which inspired the abolitionist of President Lincoln’s day to rail against slavery, setting into motion the end of that kind of America. Henson later established a community for fugitive slaves called the Dawn Settlement, and he founded the British-American Institute in Dresden, ON.

 
Allah said that it is through those members of his family that he learned the value of education, a strong work ethic, sacrifice, and teamwork. He believes those to be the same vital building blocks of any successful community.

 
“I attended Central State University in Wilberforce OH,” Allah said, “as a therapeutic recreation major, and since returning to WNY, I've been invested in our community from the grassroots level, working particularly with our youth.

 
Allah said that he has been doing youth outreach by creating successful mentorship programs and assisting with other community youth projects for over fifteen years.

 
“I've shown my commitment to our youth and my confidences are in their ability to one day lead our communities when given the continual support and guidance they need.” That’s why he said that he is a strong advocated for the reopening of the Niagara Community Center in the city’s north end and instituting anti-bullying campaigns.

 
Allah, a published author, added, “Professionally, I've self-published ten books that explores various social issues, and have worked as a program consultant for an episode on the History Channel’s show, Gangland.

 
But it was not enough that he is published, he sponsors young writers programs to help others to do so, too. Some people, he said, may know him from his National Prison Correspondence and Book Donation Program, or have heard him as a guest speaker at several national colleges.

 

As his forbearers have instilled values in him, he has likewise instilled similar values in his two daughters. One is a recent high school graduate who has earned a lacrosse scholarship to Howard University; and the other is an eleventh grade honor student, whose goal is to become a local business owner.

 
Allah believes that as the next Fourth District County Legislator that he will have a larger platform to better serve our community. “We need leadership that understands that a seat and a voice is still not enough at the table. We need leadership with an activist spirit, someone with an actual agenda and work ethic to help transform our collective quality of life. Together, the community and I, are that kind of leadership.”

 
Allah further said that crime prevention starts with us. He said that, “The crimes in our neighborhoods are primarily committed by relatives or people we know, not people who are unknown. We need members who are willing to protect our most vulnerable members: children, women, seniors, and the handicapped.”

Allah concluded, “As our next county legislator I will remain transparent, accessible, and responsive to our district, because I am for the people. You will still see me utilizing our resources at our local public library, playing basketball with our youth at Legends Park, and proactively involved in community functions. I will also hold local community circles; forums designed to keep people informed about community and legislative issues, and I will seek input on issues related to our city and county. For the future of our youth, community, and the City of Niagara Falls, I look forward to speaking with you in the coming months, and I will fully earn your vote of conscience, and confidence.

Saladin Q. Allah
Email: Saladin2013@yahoo.com

Twitter: @Saladin_2013
Facebook: Saladin for Niagara County Legislature

Campaign Fund: Saladin 2013 Campaign Fund