Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Black Americans and the Palestinian Solidarity Movement


Last week in WireTap, Kameelah Rasheed wrote a great post on her thoughts about the role of Black Americans in the Palestinian Solidarity Movement. In part she says:

The strength of the Palestinian solidarity movement is not built on asking for support from other social movements in divestment campaigns or seasonal boycotts; rather, it is built on forging lasting partnerships that do more than address the Palestinian struggle as a microcosm, but address the matrices of marginalization, repression and neo-colonialism articulated throughout the world. The strength of the Palestinian Solidarity Movement is being able to look beyond Palestine. Looking beyond Palestine does not imply a denial of the unique conditions of Palestinians, it urgently begs an internationalist approach that makes us active in all struggles against oppression and not solely those affecting Palestinians. While we cannot champion every cause, or toyi-toyi at every protest, we can take those extra steps to attend a Palestinian Solidarity rally, speak at a church rally on police brutality in Oakland or even start our own youth-based Black-Palestinian Solidarity movement (wink-wink).


This is a disucssion that definitely needs to happen and one that I haven't heard nearly enough of.

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