When Donald Trump announced he would be holding a rally at USF in February earlier this year, it piqued the interest of an ambitious Tampa Bay nonprofit with a keen eye for viral media.
Thousands of colorful Trump supporters and (also colorful, but in a different way) protesters? Right here? Talk about a goldmine.
Founded by two former USF Students, Hussam Ahmed, 25 and Nick Armero, 26, Peace House produces social media content about a wide range of social issues, especially those issues not always reported by the mainstream media. The group, now including local actress Taylor Valentine, 24, jumped at the chance to capture the zaniness of the Trump rally — even if they weren't exactly sure what they were in for.
“We didn’t know what we were going to do until we went,” said Armero. “We planned on making a joke, we planned on making fun of [Trump supporters] but we had this emotional experience and we didn’t want to make fun of them. We wanted to reach out to them, so we did our best and it resonated with a lot of people. It’s still sharing now. It’s still as relevant as ever. “
Their video, “Dear Trump Supporters,” which you can watch below, did indeed resonate. Within three days of its upload it had amassed over 30 million views on Facebook.
Perhaps it was their eye-catching angle.
The group attended the rally as the faux pro-Trump group “Muslims for Trump,” advocating for his then-recent positions on banning Muslims from entering the U.S., among other controversial proposals. They attracted local media interest, including an interview with this reporter who, on assignment, was surprised to come across such a group. Cast against the sight of an anti-Trump group smashing a Trump piñata to bits, the group was surprised by the reaction they received from supporters.
“We have strong roots to the local Muslim community,” said Ahmed. “I myself am Muslim and [the community has] been really helpful and supportive as we have grown. We have produced videos that tackle Islamic issues and when you think about it, there are not many media outlets in the U.S. where the Islamic community really feels like their perspective is front and center.”
Peace House uses satire to critique people, issues and current events beyond Islam, as well. Black Lives Matter, Wall Street bankers, the Florida Legislature and of course Trump, Clinton and Bernie Sanders have all been subjected to the Peace House treatment.
Motivated by current events and with over 200,000 YouTube followers, the group is about to embark on an array of new ventures, all aimed at advancing the Peace House message.
“Nick saw a lot of potential in the power of social media I think that is something that kept sticking with him,” said Ahmed. “There’s so much potential, the world can change with the internet, with social media. People are connected, look what we accomplished, if we want to preach a different message to people about different issues that are important, that are relevant, and try and tell it in an interesting and funny way, that’s digestible, for most people, then there’s a lot of potential for real change.”
The group hopes to open a new community café at its Temple Terrace headquarters within the next few months. Partly inspired by a similar café opened in London by British comedian and activist Russell Brand, the group hopes the Peace House Café becomes a place where people can simply come and hang out and safely debate and discuss politics, current events, race and other issues.
“Revolution comes from coffee shops, from salons, from people simply coming together in the community to affect change,” Armero said. “Current media is censored. The revolution will not be televised — they’re corporate and can’t discuss the issues that really affect the young people of today.”
Along with the café, Peace House has plans to launch an app and educational resources to not just connect people with issues that affect them but also give them the tools to understand what their local and state-level elected officials stand for, and who exactly is running for office in many down-ballot races, which voters — especially younger voters — often overlook.
Their long-term aspirations are to take their mission beyond Tampa Bay and Florida.
The ultimate goal, according to the group, “is to have a Peace House all over the country and maybe all over the world. We want to create spaces that are financially self-sustaining and where people feel they can come, connect and hopefully create the kinds of changes many of us want to see in the world.”
To find out more about Peace House visit them online at peacehouse.us.
\\
This article appears in Sep 15-22, 2016.