To my family, halfway across the world
One of my greatest regrets I’ll ever have was never asking my grandfather to talk about his experiences during the Nakba. As outgoing as he was, his silence and suddenly grim attitude always filled the room when the events of 1948 were brought up. Although I’ll never get to know what he lived through, I felt like I always got a piece of the story just by hearing the sorrow in his voice.
The thought of MERA was originally inspired by my father and all the stories he shared with me about growing up a refugee in the Middle East. Stories of war, inaccessibility to healthcare, and diaspora are a norm in almost every Middle Eastern household in America. Growing up surrounded by these anecdotes, I realized pretty quickly that I was brought up in a much safer, more privileged environment than a lot of my family had. From free legal service for a driving ticket to angel investors just down the street, I became aware of the multitude of resources that were offered at my disposal.
In the countless “what do you want to do after college?” conversations I’ve had, I was always told that this generation was one of pioneer problem solvers who would one day bring solutions to all the global crises that make the world look like it’s ending. Of course, a part of me always took these claims with a grain of salt, thinking that these words of affirmation were a way for current legislators to shift the responsibility for all the problems begging to be fixed. But one part of me, however, always felt a sense of urgency.
Today, the only images of a homeland I never got to visit are based on memories of violence and tragedies. Nonetheless, I valued every late-night story my father shared with me. The inspiration behind MERA is to give purpose to every sacrifice endured by my grandparents, my parents, and every refugee in the Middle East who gave everything up for the hopes of a better life, not for themselves, but for their children. This platform we started is created by these children, who grew up lucky enough to not have any stories to share. MERA is not a hobby, it's built from an obligation that this generation has to end the cycle of trauma and war in the Middle East.
MERA is still young, and our small crew has so many hopes as to what we can do with the platform we are creating. I’m so excited for all the events, all the solutions, and all the people I’m going to meet on this new journey. I ask that whoever is reading this just keep a tab on us, and watch as we grow. There’s so much more to be said, but our story is only getting started, so without further ado, welcome.
