Outpouring of support shared for Texas woman who was the subject of racist Facebook post

An East Texas mom is receiving an outpouring of love and support after an offensive Facebook post made by a Gilmer, Texas businesswoman. An East Texas mom is receiving an outpouring of love and support after an offensive Facebook post made by a Gilmer, Texas businesswoman. Photo: Facebook Photo: Facebook Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Outpouring of support shared for Texas woman who was the subject of racist Facebook post 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

An East Texas mom, Ruwan Alkam couldn’t wait to take her 3-year-old to Yulefest in Gilmer, Texas last week.

“I read that it had rides, and my three-year-old son, Musa, he pretty much, he lives for the rides,” Alkam wrote in a Facebook post. “So as soon as I saw that the event had rides, I jumped at the opportunity.”

The fun festival experience turned bittersweet when she discovered that a business owner, identified as Lisa Gaines, reportedly snapped a picture of her and posted it to Facebook with a caption that read, “Look what showed up at Gilmer at the Yulefest. We have been infiltrated.”

Alkam said she first spotted the post while scrolling through Facebook.

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“While we were at the fest, someone decided to snap this photo of me (without my consent) with this lovely caption suggesting that I’m a terrorist who has infiltrated their town. I’m devastated,” Alkam wrote in her Facebook post. “I never felt like an outcast until today. I don’t feel safe in my town anymore, I feel one day someone will just snap and attack me.”

After the post controversy, Alkam said that even though the post deeply upset her, it was the first time someone had been offensive toward her because of her hijab.

“I mean, you know, sometimes people would make like snide remarks or just dirty looks or any stuff like that, but no one has like been blatantly racise to me at all, “ Alkam said in an interview with CBS-19.

Brandy Ferrer, a Gilmer business owner who served chairwoman for this year’s Yulefest, spotted the post and was outraged by the racist remark.

“We want everybody here,” Ferrer added. “We don’t care about race or religion or nationality. And we wanted everybody to be able to enjoy it,” Ferrer told CBS-19.

Ferrer said that she and several business owners are stepping up to shower Alkam’s family with love and support after this offensive incident.

“We wanted to band together to show this family and everyone that we want you here, and this is not our viewpoint,” Ferrer said, reaching out to Alkam. “We want people to feel comfortable here.” After the upsetting post, several families in Gilmer have mobilized to donate gifts to Alkam’s family.

Alkam said she’s inspired by all the love and support after the incident.

“I am so delightfully overwhelmed by all the love and support I’ve received not only from my local community, but from people all over the world,” Alkam wrote in her Facebook post. “ I never would have even imagined people would respond so positively to this, which just proves that love trumps hate.”

The Gilmer Area Chamber of Commerce responded to the controversy by terminating Gaines’ membership. The organization released the following statement about its decision.

“The Gilmer Area Chamber of Commerce sincerely apologizes to Ruwan Alkam and her family for the behavior of a chamber member. The Gilmer chamber does not support the exclusion of any race or religion nor do we condone or control the beliefs or actions of the members of the chamber. In no way does this reflect the views or the beliefs of the chamber. After discussion, the board of directors have decided to terminate the business owner’s membership in accordance with Article II of the chamber bylaws. After careful consideration Gilmer chamber has decided to schedule a diversity training workshop for its members and the community.”

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