Black Palestinian Solidarity
“Racism is systematic. Its outbursts are not isolated incidents” - Angela Davis
Once again, we are witnessing the effects of institutional and systemic racism against the Black community in the United States. These are not isolated or unique incidents; rather they are inevitable consequences of the broken system we repeatedly witness. Whether it is the death of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, or many others in the US and globally whose names have not made it to the media headlines, our generation has come to a point where change is in our hands and we must act.
The police brutality and murder we are witnessing in the United States is, unfortunately, not unknown to Palestinians.The methods law enforcement agents deploy are all too familiar to Palestinians living under military Israeli occupation. Through what has been coined “The Deadly Exchange,” U.S. police forces are being trained by Israeli forces, those who protect and maintain an illegal military occupation. Israeli forces, with the same strategies that US law enforcement agencies practice against people of color in America - particularly Black Americans - actively and consistently discriminate against Palestinians in their indigenous lands. These racist practices even extend to non-white, non-Ashkenazi Jews including but not limited to Jewish African refugees and Jewish people of color within Israel.
According to past United Nations Security Council resolutions and Amnesty International, Israel is in routine violation of international law and systematically disregards basic human rights. Yet, the U.S. Department of Justice continues to subsidize programs that aim to train its police forces by Israel. In spite of the United Nations Human Rights Chief condemning the US police murders of innocent Black citizens and urging for serious change in protocols, appropriate institutional change has yet to be viewed as necessary by those in power. By continuing to carry out these racist practices, both the US and Israel confirm the inequality in place of different peoples in the eyes of the state.
The names of the innocent lives lost are far too many to count because it is not just the victims of this month or year in Palestine and the United States, this violence dates back decades. Although only a few names reach the media, we remember each and every life lost and commit to fighting for justice for all.
Below is a brief list of resources that are only first steps in doing your part in this collective fight for justice.
Learn
Donate
Harvard College Society of Arab Students for BLM
Funds will be matched up to $5000 and will be divided between the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota (ACLU) and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
And most importantly, share. Whether it is something you read today, your experience, or anything else, share with others and speak up because change is collective and we must work towards it, together.