Free Palestine

Don’t feel like reading? Here, I’ll read it to you

I just want to start by saying a few things.

First, a genocide is happening. It’s BEEN happening.

Second, I recognize I am not one of the important voices to speak on this matter but being that one of the topics I write about is social causes, it doesn’t feel right to stay silent about this.

I am writing on this to spread awareness and urgency as well as highlight people who are much closer to this topic and much more knowledgeable than I.

It is absolutely wild to me that while elected officials are focusing on outlawing abortion and protecting unborn sacks of cells, they turn a blind eye to the genocide happening in front of our eyes. Real people being mercilessly killed. If it’s not the bombings, it’s the shootings. If not the shootings, it’s the starvation. If not the starvation, it’s the trauma. Nowhere is safe in Gaza.

So often I hear, “I’m just one small person. What I do won’t help. It won’t make a difference.” And to that I respond, “What if everybody said that?”

You are not one person, you are the first in a ripple of other people who will see you do it and think to themselves, maybe I should do better too. I know I won’t create global change on my own, but I’ll know I’ve done my best to create the change I hoped to see.

Ways you can help

Do not turn a blind eye

It’s easy to ignore things that aren’t happening directly in front of you. When you lay your head on your pillow and fall asleep to the sweet sound of silence, knowing you will wake up safe in your home the following morning, it’s hard to imagine trying to fall asleep to the sound of explosions and violence with the potential your home may be a pile of rubble the next day. But it’s not some far-off imagination. It is happening. Now. If you sit in your living room and think about how terrifying the thought of having to up and leave it all on a moments notice because it will all cease to exist in a matter of days, know that was only the beginning for Palestinians.

I remember learning about the holocaust in school and thinking, “How did this happen?! If I was alive during that time…I would have done something.” But here we are. In the middle of another genocide. I also know that Palestine isn’t the only place this is happening right now. Here’s a whole list. The very least we can do is be aware of them.

Learn about it

Look, there’s a lot of detail and history that goes into these big conflicts and I, myself, will not be able to grasp it all. But you don’t have to be a history buff to recognize something isn’t right. I find it difficult to identify truly unbiased sources (part of why it took me so long to finally post an article on the topic) but there are a few I’ll link here that I think can be helpful

All Sides – tells you what bias different sources have
Genocide Watch
Israel-Palestinian News
100 Rural Women put together a really nice educational resource document

Use your socials

Share and engage with creators content that are doing work in spreading information.

I think we’re past the point of any of us denying that we are on TikTok and find a lot of information that way. TikTok has become a search engine in its own way and although plenty of people would like to discredit it as such, it can be a useful tool. For one, people band together and find ways to do things for good. There are numerous TikTok filters & sounds going around and every time one is used and posted (publicly or privately) money is raised for Gaza. I won’t link them because each one hits a limit and then new ones are made, but if you go on TikTok and search #freepalestinefilter I’m sure you’ll find some to use.

I check in on @wizard_bisan1 every day. Bisan is a Palestinian reporter from Gaza and deserves all the recognition.

make calls

Ahhh, so scary. I, myself also hate making calls. But calling your representatives and demanding ceasefire is an important way to literally use your voice.

There’s an app called 5 calls. They provide a whole list of important issues and describe them. You type in your zip code and it comes up with a list of the relevant representatives for you to call. It provides a short script along with the phone number. You can always leave a voicemail too. This app seriously makes it so easy, and it takes 5 minutes of your day. You may not be the ones making the big legal decisions, but that doesn’t mean your voice doesn’t count.

Donate

Anera
World Food Program USA
Save The Children
Islamic Relief USA

Lila

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