I don’t know about you but I cannot and will not operate like business as usual, shout out to my mutuals and fellow educators who are also refusing to do the same. We must continue to talk about Palestine, about liberation and about what solidarity truly means. I’m not sure how many years ago I first learned about the ongoing ethnic cleansing happening to the Palestinian people at the hands of Israel and the US but I do remember that it was through other educators and activists I trust talking about it, posting about it, uplifting Palestinian voices and providing resources. I am certainly nowhere near an expert and I will never claim to be, but I have compiled some resources that I’ve found to be immensely helpful.
The ask from Palestinian people is to keep talking about this, keep resisting, keep agitating. There is no one correct way to show up right now.
This Friday (aka tomorrow) is a national movement to Shut It Down for Palestine
For Boston area folks attending the rally - see you on the Boston Commons at 3pm!
Here are my favorite resources I’ve come across so far - definitely a non exhaustive list that I keep adding to but for the sake of getting this newsletter sent, this is what I’ve got:
Instagram accounts I follow for updates & resources:
Reporters in Palestine
US-based Palestinian creators
Accounts and organizations
BDSnationalcommittee - where to focus boycotts (fuck starbucks)
Get involved:
Ceasefiretoday.com has links to get involved in many different ways - again, there is no single right way to show up! It’s ok if rallies aren’t your thing!
This app is what I’m using to call my reps - they give you a script and it seriously only takes a few minutes. You’re highly likely to get a voicemail.
Further Reading/Media:
“No Human Being Can Exist: How can a person make up for seven decades of misrepresentation and willful distortion in the time allotted to a sound bite?”
I have read this article many many times now and I keep coming back to it - on the feigned ignorance of western media and their compliance in the genocide of the Palestinian people:
“If Palestinian commentators want to be asked about Israeli violence against Palestinian civilians—about the history of ethnic cleansing and apartheid that produced the contemporary Gaza Strip and the violence we are witnessing today; about the structural violence of decades of Israeli occupation that cuts farmers off from their fields, teachers from their classrooms, doctors from their patients, and children from their parents—we have to ask to be asked. And even then, the questions don’t come.”
I loooove Ismatu Gwendolyn’s writing (and tiktok) - this newsletter on how every American is addicted to something has really stayed with me - I highly recommend listening to them read it.
How to Keep Going by Ijeoma Olou - I really appreciated these lessons from Ijeoma, this is something I refer to when I’m feeling overwhelmed or stuck - community is more important than ever.
In the Name of Love by Margaret Killjoy - talking about a widely circulating picture of an IDF soldier holding up a rainbow flag in a background of rubble and flattened buildings that claims “the first pride flag raised in Gaza” as if this is anything but rainbow-washing a genocide:
Every queer person who wanted to remain on the sidelines is no longer on the sidelines, because they have invoked us. They have looked at us and said “this is for you. We did this for you. We have written your name on this mountain of skulls, this hill of bones. Do you not love us for it?”
An excellent, very thoughtful resource on having hard conversations with people you care about with SO many sources, videos, articles etc.
Decolonize Palestine is another great resource on the history of Palestine, and how we got to the present day. I like to refer to this alongside videos or other sources as I’m reading them. You do not need to know the full history to be opposed to the genocide happening today, this is just what I’ve been doing.
If you’re looking for some book recommendations - Haymarket Books is offering several free Ebooks, and Verso created this reading list with discounted or free ebook options as well.
I’m currently reading Freedom is a Constant Struggle Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Davis
Let me know what resources you’re finding useful!
If you’re not sure how the United States’ support of Israel directly impacts movements in the US - a very current example is the link between Stop Cop City and Palestine.
Free Palestine, Free Congo, Free Sudan, free them all
If you’re a fellow healthcare provider or educator of any kind, especially one with a platform and you’re still not sure if you should be drawing your followers attention to Gaza and the Palestinian people, I’ll leave you with this video. It’s not too late.
In solidarity and love,
Alex