New York City First Lady Rama Duwaji designed and promoted T-shirts to raise funds for Dahnoun Mutual Aid, a Gaza-based charity providing essential services to displaced Palestinians. However, the approximately $2,000 raised from the sales was never sent to the organization, according to a report. The T-shirts, which featured a bird design and the Arabic phrase "Khair Ya Tair" ("Good news, oh bird!"), were sold for $47 each on Everpress, a platform that facilitated fundraising for creators.
Duwaji pledged 100% of the profits from the shirts to Dahnoun Mutual Aid. The funds were processed by Everpress, and the platform repeatedly attempted to contact Duwaji to provide her banking information for the wire transfer to the charity. A source familiar with the process stated that the money remained in a "creator" account on Everpress, which has since shut down. The source indicated that Duwaji had up to two years to claim the funds, as her campaign took place in 2024 and Everpress announced its closure in May.
Dahnoun Mutual Aid has been seeking to raise $2 million for its operations in Gaza. According to its social media posts, the group has raised $1.1 million towards this goal. An online fundraiser for the charity does not show any donations attributed to Duwaji's campaign. The charity did not respond to requests for comment.
A spokeswoman for the Mayor's office stated that the proceeds were never in Duwaji's possession and remain with Everpress, to be sent to the mutual aid organization. Duwaji, described as a Syrian illustrator and animator based in Brooklyn, launched the T-shirt campaign a year after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel. Her design description on Everpress stated that 100% of the profit would go towards winter clothes in North Gaza via Dahnoun Mutual Aid, calling the Palestinian Sunbird, featured on the shirt, a symbol of freedom and defiance. Duwaji has previously faced scrutiny for past social media activity, including posts that were interpreted as supportive of Hamas and past offensive remarks for which she has apologized.