Black-Palestinian Solidarity
MFSA-UMKR webinar explores this game-changing relationship
between liberation struggles Wednesday, 22 Sept 2021
10am PT, 1pm ET (US, Canada) / 5pm UTC / 8pm Palestine
Register here: https://palestine.events/22Sept2021
__________________________________________________ “From Ferguson to Gaza, from Baltimore to Jerusalem, from Charleston to Bethlehem, we will be free.” That declaration comes from the people behind a stunning 3-minute video in 2015, “When I See Them, I See Us.” On-screen participants include a Who’s Who of Black Americans and Palestinian activist leaders; see the video here: https://www.kairosresponse.org/black-palestinian_solidarity.html  Solidarity between Black Americans and Palestinians has a long and storied history, from the fateful stand by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) (photo, right) in the 1960’s, to the unequivocal support from Black Lives Matter and passionate speeches by Rev. Dr. William Barber II, leader of the Poor People’s Campaign, in the 2010’s and 20’s.
 That solidarity has evolved in remarkable ways in recent years. Palestinians have expressed overflowing support for the struggles of Black Americans, during events that erupted in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014 and continuing since then to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota in May 2020.
(Photo: Palestinian artwork on Israel's Separation Wall (often called the Apartheid Wall) in the West Bank, one of many murals of George Floyd throughout Palestine.  Concurrently, the trail-blazing Movement for Black Lives and other Black- and brown-led organizations and coalitions have repeatedly confirmed that Palestinian liberation is a cornerstone in the global struggle against systemic racism, colonialism, and state violence. REGISTER FOR THE WEBINAR HERE
“Changing the conversation” – that is what many commentators have credited to this growing solidarity: widely influencing public opinion about Israel/Palestine and expanding public understanding of the Palestinian people’s struggle for freedom and equality. What is the foundation for this long-distance relationship?
How will it impact the broader movements for Palestinian rights and for racial justice in the US and globally?
How can individuals and organizations support this transformational activism? Find out on September 22nd with two REMARKABLE SPEAKERS:  ADRIEN K. WING is the Associate Dean of the College of Law at the University of Iowa (UI), and Director of the UI Center for Human Rights. During her long history of solidarity with the Palestinian people, she has served as legal consultant for the writing of a Palestinian constitution and has addressed the Palestinian National Council. Wing is a prolific author on Critical Race Theory and on intersections between human rights, feminism, Palestinian rights, and international law.  AHMAD ABUZNAID is the Executive Director of US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), an pivotal national organization that United Methodists helped to found. Following the killing of Trayvon Martin in 2012, Abuznaid was a co-founder of Dream Defenders, a leading group in the Movement for Black Lives. He organized several delegations to Palestine that included prominent Black American leaders such as Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrice Cullors, Black Youth Project leader Charlene Carruthers, and scholar and national commentator Marc Lamont Hill. Our Moderator
 PAULA RODERICK is an employment discrimination and civil rights attorney who practices in the Chicago area. She is a member of the UMKR Steering Committee and a dedicated justice advocate on issues relating to policing, Black youth, and Palestinian rights. Roderick is an organizer and activist with Black4Palestine, Eyewitness Palestine, the Arab Jewish Partnership for Peace and Justice in the Middle East, the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, and several other organizations. Don't miss this MFSA-UMKR presentation, an important discussion of the game-changing activism in Black-Palestinian solidarity: | 
