On November 15, Palestinian activists will attempt to board segregated Israeli settler public transport headed to occupied East Jerusalem in an act of civil disobedience inspired by the Freedom Riders of the US Civil Rights Movement. Fifty years after the US Freedom Riders staged mixed-race bus rides through the roads of the segregated American South, Palestinian Freedom Riders will be asserting their right for liberty and dignity by disrupting the military regime of the Occupation through peaceful civil disobedience. Organizers say this ride to demand liberty, equality, and access to Jerusalem is the first of many to come.
Please join us Tuesday, November 15 at 12 noon Eastern Time (Call in number: 800-920-7487 Code: 92247763# ) for this important conference call with Ellen Broms, one of the original Freedom Riders for civil rights in the American South and currently an activist for a just peace in Israel/Palestine. On our call, Ms. Broms will talk about her own experiences as an activist/demonstrator for civil rights in the 1960's and why her activism has led her to take a stand on behalf of Palestinian human and civil rights.
Ellen Broms is a retired state worker who resides in Sacramento, CA. In the summer of 1961, she participated in the Freedom Ride - a landmark demonstration on behalf of civil rights in the American South. Her involvement in the civil rights movement began when, as a student at Los Angeles City College, she demonstrated at Woolworth lunch counters in support of similar sit-ins by students in the South. In June 1961, Ms. Brom attended a freedom rally at the Sports Arena in Los Angeles where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave the keynote speech. After hearing a freedom rider speak, she was inspired to participate in the rides herself.
On August 11, Ms. Brom was arrested with other freedom riders after they sat down and demonstrated in a Houston coffee shop:
The police arrived, having been summoned by the owner and we were charged with unlawful assembly and taken to the Houston city jail. We were fingerprinted, mugged, and classified at the city jail and then transferred to the Harris County Jail. Ironically, I was booked as a "Negro" because of my dark hair and complexion. We declined to state "race" and they classified me as "High Yellow". Marjorie, a very fair skinned, green eyed female rider of African American descent was classified and booked as white. I was placed in the "tank" for black women and Marjorie went to the white women's tank. If we did nothing else during that ride, we did succeed in briefly integrating the jail.
After spending eight days in jail, Ms. Brom was released. The riders were found guilty of "unlawful assembly" by an all-white jury and fined $100 each. Their case was eventually appealed to a higher court and overturned.
Ellen Broms has since been honored by Congress, the state of Texas and the city of Houston for risking incarceration and violence as a Freedom Rider. Ms. Brom continues to work as an activist for peace and justice, particularly in the area of a just peace in Israel/Palestine. She is actively involved in the Sacramento branch of Jewish Voice for Peace and is campaigning on behalf of the West Bank Freedom Ride which will take place on November 15, 2011.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Somewhere in the middle of our hip hop/dabke dance party last Friday, one of the sisters told me “the black people in America sing very nice.” Then another asked, “why the black so bad in America?” This question didn’t surprise me anymore, I’d been asked that before, why black people make all the violence in the States. If all you had were the action movies on TV, and even our news, you would probably believe it too.
Then one of the sisters told me that their brother, who lives in Chicago, had just lost three friends. They were shot during an armed robbery. They were Palestinian. I was sad for them, knowing how close they are to their brother, even though he’s on the other side of the world.
We continued to hang out, and danced more dabke, which was really unpredictable, and if I made some arbitrary kicks I was called “shatra,” sharp. I mean, it’s a compliment, but I get called “shatra” for the lamest things, like rinsing dishes and making dough balls. Do I really come off that clueless? I probably do.
Then I asked the girls if we could watch Palestine News, since I’d done the interview in Bil’in earlier that day. I didn’t know if it would air today, or tomorrow, or never, but I was curious. I had a feeling my interview would get aired. Ratib Abu Rahma was the leader of that demo, so he did the first interview, then they asked one of the Brits, then Ratib yelled at me and asked me if I was British. I said no, American, and he said, ah, ok, and went back. A minute later he yelled again, “American! You come now!” I answered 3 or 4 questions, translated from Arabic. Why was I there? (I come to the demonstrations to support the village, bring images of Palestine to the US, and show the settlers that they don’t belong on Bil’in’s land) How did I feel about the UNESCO vote? (It’s not even really about the statehood bid, like the UNESCO rep said, but I think it’s an important step forward in bringing international attention and resources to Palestine, and giving protection to places that need it) How do I feel about Obama’s veto? (It’s expected that he’ll veto, but in the future, he’ll regret it. He’s on the wrong side of history. Why will he veto? He wants to be re-elected, so he would never want to risk losing the support of the Israeli lobby).
I don’t know how many interviews they did, but they only aired Ratib and me. Like last December’s demonstration at Qalandia, when the Al Jazeera reporter pulled me aside when I mentioned I was the only American and I went on about how U.S. is funding the settlements and the wall….I don’t think the State Department will want me now.
While we were watching the rest of the news (flotilla was intercepted, something about Syria, someone said something on Israeli news, I think about Iran), Mama Daragmeh sat down next to me and said, “ibni” and pointed to herself, my son, “thalath asdiqa,” three friends, and flicked her hand, dead. Min Ramallah. They were all from villages nearby. She started to cry. I thought, she’s sad because her son is in mourning. But she’s thinking of the mothers too. Maybe they were just like her, and talked about their sons constantly, had pictures up in the house, maybe they had Majik Jacks and talked to them every day, maybe their sons sent Eid money to their sisters for new clothes.…
How strong the families are here. And they’re strangers to the kind of violence they hear about in Chicago. This was an American in Palestine moment that I kept having over, and over…..
Then one of the sisters told me that their brother, who lives in Chicago, had just lost three friends. They were shot during an armed robbery. They were Palestinian. I was sad for them, knowing how close they are to their brother, even though he’s on the other side of the world.
We continued to hang out, and danced more dabke, which was really unpredictable, and if I made some arbitrary kicks I was called “shatra,” sharp. I mean, it’s a compliment, but I get called “shatra” for the lamest things, like rinsing dishes and making dough balls. Do I really come off that clueless? I probably do.
Then I asked the girls if we could watch Palestine News, since I’d done the interview in Bil’in earlier that day. I didn’t know if it would air today, or tomorrow, or never, but I was curious. I had a feeling my interview would get aired. Ratib Abu Rahma was the leader of that demo, so he did the first interview, then they asked one of the Brits, then Ratib yelled at me and asked me if I was British. I said no, American, and he said, ah, ok, and went back. A minute later he yelled again, “American! You come now!” I answered 3 or 4 questions, translated from Arabic. Why was I there? (I come to the demonstrations to support the village, bring images of Palestine to the US, and show the settlers that they don’t belong on Bil’in’s land) How did I feel about the UNESCO vote? (It’s not even really about the statehood bid, like the UNESCO rep said, but I think it’s an important step forward in bringing international attention and resources to Palestine, and giving protection to places that need it) How do I feel about Obama’s veto? (It’s expected that he’ll veto, but in the future, he’ll regret it. He’s on the wrong side of history. Why will he veto? He wants to be re-elected, so he would never want to risk losing the support of the Israeli lobby).
I don’t know how many interviews they did, but they only aired Ratib and me. Like last December’s demonstration at Qalandia, when the Al Jazeera reporter pulled me aside when I mentioned I was the only American and I went on about how U.S. is funding the settlements and the wall….I don’t think the State Department will want me now.
While we were watching the rest of the news (flotilla was intercepted, something about Syria, someone said something on Israeli news, I think about Iran), Mama Daragmeh sat down next to me and said, “ibni” and pointed to herself, my son, “thalath asdiqa,” three friends, and flicked her hand, dead. Min Ramallah. They were all from villages nearby. She started to cry. I thought, she’s sad because her son is in mourning. But she’s thinking of the mothers too. Maybe they were just like her, and talked about their sons constantly, had pictures up in the house, maybe they had Majik Jacks and talked to them every day, maybe their sons sent Eid money to their sisters for new clothes.…
How strong the families are here. And they’re strangers to the kind of violence they hear about in Chicago. This was an American in Palestine moment that I kept having over, and over…..
Monday, November 7, 2011
For the first time, returning to and Al Aqaba from the weekend was really depressing. I'd been with the Daragmeh's in Luban Sharqia, making sweets and getting ready for Eid, but some project deadlines brought me back to Al Aqaba. It was hard for me to explain my way out of Luban Sharqia. No, I'm not employed, yes I know that nobody works on Eid. Yes, I want to stay and see the children in the streets and eat the barbequed sheep, and I knew it would be a much more festive atmosphere there. But Rebuilding Alliance doesn't have a holiday. It was really hard to explain that I don't have a work schedule. I'm a go-between, and if I don't deliver the messages, or take the footage, or submit the proposal, it won't get done, and that's the kind of work I've always wanted. If Al Aqaba can get an article or a picture in a magazine, or donations for the new houses, or a grant for the Women's Society, that's it. It's not work. Like in Palestine, hospitality and taking care of people isn't considered work, it's just life. Work is that thing you have to do, and you don't do it on Eid.
It was hard to explain. But the family loaded me up with sweets, including these sandwich cookies that are like Argentinian alfajores, but with apricot jam instead of dulce de leche, and date cookies, and their father called me a Service, and I promised to call if I could make it back. Probably not that afternoon, though.
But I got back to Al Aqaba and it was dark and rainy, and the internet wasn't working. So I cleaned the apartment, and ate dinner with Haj Sami's family, and hung out with Haj Sami while his wheelchair was broken and he was waiting for his nephew to get the new part in Tubas. It wasn't a good night to need maintenance. Haj Sami wasn't happy. But we watched little Roya running around all cute-like and then I asked Haj Sami what it felt like to pray. I wanted to know if it took him away for a while, made him forget. He just said, "I feel very good," then he told me stories about the Prophet Mohammad and it seemed to cheer him up. One time he asked me why we dream. I laughed and said no one really knows, but sometimes we dream of things we want, and don't want, and can't have. He told me sometimes he dreamed that he was back in the hospital in Israel in 1971, where he lived after he was shot. Sometimes he dreams about the nurses, who took care of him and taught him Hebrew.
I was down because it was raining and I had no internet. I take so much for granted.
Sadiq brought the wheel back from Tubas. It worked alright, but we needed to pick up a new one from Jerusalem soon. I went back to the apartment at 9 and spent a long time working with footage from the weekend and listening to one-hit-wonders from the 90's.
Ooh baby, ooh baby, you're makin me crazy, you're makin me crazy, every time I look around (everytime I look around)....
It was hard to explain. But the family loaded me up with sweets, including these sandwich cookies that are like Argentinian alfajores, but with apricot jam instead of dulce de leche, and date cookies, and their father called me a Service, and I promised to call if I could make it back. Probably not that afternoon, though.
But I got back to Al Aqaba and it was dark and rainy, and the internet wasn't working. So I cleaned the apartment, and ate dinner with Haj Sami's family, and hung out with Haj Sami while his wheelchair was broken and he was waiting for his nephew to get the new part in Tubas. It wasn't a good night to need maintenance. Haj Sami wasn't happy. But we watched little Roya running around all cute-like and then I asked Haj Sami what it felt like to pray. I wanted to know if it took him away for a while, made him forget. He just said, "I feel very good," then he told me stories about the Prophet Mohammad and it seemed to cheer him up. One time he asked me why we dream. I laughed and said no one really knows, but sometimes we dream of things we want, and don't want, and can't have. He told me sometimes he dreamed that he was back in the hospital in Israel in 1971, where he lived after he was shot. Sometimes he dreams about the nurses, who took care of him and taught him Hebrew.
I was down because it was raining and I had no internet. I take so much for granted.
Sadiq brought the wheel back from Tubas. It worked alright, but we needed to pick up a new one from Jerusalem soon. I went back to the apartment at 9 and spent a long time working with footage from the weekend and listening to one-hit-wonders from the 90's.
Ooh baby, ooh baby, you're makin me crazy, you're makin me crazy, every time I look around (everytime I look around)....
I picked these snippets off Mondoweiss.
At 7:30 am the Tahrir was interrogated, via radio, by the Israeli Navy. The ships were approximately 48 nautical miles off the coastline, well into international waters. Asked by the Israeli Navy for their destination, Canadian activist Ehab Lotayef replied, "The conscience of humanity." When they repeated the question, asking for final destination, Lotayef said, "The betterment of mankind."
US to Gaza website
Medea Benjamin, said that representatives of 12 countries are now meeting in Turkey with an eye to sending more flotillas to Gaza as well as challenging the Israeli blockade by other means.
The countries represented include Germany, France, Canada, Sweden, Norway, Malaysia, the U.S., and Palestine. The group will, she said, "continue to challenge the blockade by sending boats." But they will also pursue other methods of bringing the blockade to international attention.
By the Way, Freedom Waves is such a sweet name for the Flotilla movement. Freedom is coming in waves, on the waves, and it's waving at Gaza...genius!
I didn't sleep much last night. I need to stop drinking coffee before bed. So I slept in until 9:30, and had to book it to Ramallah, and Bil'in. The first thought in my head after waking up was, "I never regret going to the demo. Get uuuuuup." It's like I have just enough energy to weigh the pros and cons of sleeping through whatever it is, and all I can muster is, "I never regret it."
And I didn't. The demonstration lasted longer than usual, and there was a really good vibe about it. People didn't scatter at the first round of gas. Some of the shebab pulled at the barbed wire fence and threw stones over the wall, but the gas was directed at them, and everyone else was able to re-locate upwind and maintain their position upfront. A lot of jokes, a lot of shouting at the soldiers and settlers, a lot of "shame on you's." In my opinion, that gets to the heart of it. We're not there to make the settlers think that we could storm the wall and hurt them. We're there to oppose the normalization of the settlement. After some fringe-gassing and a lot of standing around, the demo ended very calmly and quietly. I did an interview with Palestine News Network, and I met some really awesome people afterwards, including a Palestinian American working for an org back home (I believe it's the Institute for Middle East Understanding) and he told me that his team could help me get set up if I was interested in writing an op-ed for newspapers back home. Now that's an intriguing thought....we exchanged info.
And there was a small group of social workers from Britain who were interested in connecting Palestinian social workers with British and Norwegian groups, and someday the World Federation of Social Workers.
Here's what Dave told me in the Popular Committee office, over juice and coffee and chocolate wafers:
"I just can't get over the warmth here. I wish I could bottle it up, and take it out whenever I'm having a bad meeting, then I'll be like, alright, I'm ready to go..."
They were a sweet group.
Here's the report from today:
Waves of freedom
Dozens of demonstrators tear-gassed in the village of Bil'in west of Ramallah.
Dozens of demonstrators suffered from asphyxiation in the weekly march organized by the Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements in Bil'in this Friday. Present at the demonstration was a Norwegian delegation from the Palestinian Cultural Exchange Foundation and dozens of Palestinians and international and Israeli peace activists.
The march began after Friday prayers, heading from the center of the village to the land that was liberated after the separation fence was dismantled in June. Participants raised Palestinian flags and a banner reading Waves of Freedom, in honor of the Irish and Canadian ships heading to Gaza to break the siege. The demonstration also commemorated the signing of the Balfour Declaration on November 2nd, 1917. They shouted patriotic slogans calling for the departure of the occupation, destruction of the apartheid wall, freedom and rights for Palestinian prisoners, and an end to the siege on the Gaza Strip.
Upon their arrival to the Abu Lemon nature reserve, some local participants were able to remove some of the barbed wire and iron posts that surround the wall. The demonstration continued for some time, during which some local participants threw stones over the wall. The soldiers behind the concrete wall shot tear gas canisters at these participants, as well as journalists and international witnesses.
I'm in Luban Alsharqia tonight with the Daragmeh's. We ate a huge feast of Gidri (pictures to come) and I danced dabke with the sisters until I ready to pass out. I heard a really catchy Fairooz song that I want to find. Moheeb told me that Arabs love Fairooz in the morning. It's like waking up and craving something sweet, and that something is Fairooz. I asked the sisters, "you like Fairooz in the morning?" Yes, they replied. Fairooz in the morning. I think that's beautiful. I need to locate a Best Of CD and begin my music education.
Tomorrow the Muslims fast for the day, then Eid Al-Adha begins. I'd love to see how the Daragmeh's celebrate Eid Al-Adha, and the offer is on the table (is it ever...), but
At 7:30 am the Tahrir was interrogated, via radio, by the Israeli Navy. The ships were approximately 48 nautical miles off the coastline, well into international waters. Asked by the Israeli Navy for their destination, Canadian activist Ehab Lotayef replied, "The conscience of humanity." When they repeated the question, asking for final destination, Lotayef said, "The betterment of mankind."
US to Gaza website
Medea Benjamin, said that representatives of 12 countries are now meeting in Turkey with an eye to sending more flotillas to Gaza as well as challenging the Israeli blockade by other means.
The countries represented include Germany, France, Canada, Sweden, Norway, Malaysia, the U.S., and Palestine. The group will, she said, "continue to challenge the blockade by sending boats." But they will also pursue other methods of bringing the blockade to international attention.
By the Way, Freedom Waves is such a sweet name for the Flotilla movement. Freedom is coming in waves, on the waves, and it's waving at Gaza...genius!
I didn't sleep much last night. I need to stop drinking coffee before bed. So I slept in until 9:30, and had to book it to Ramallah, and Bil'in. The first thought in my head after waking up was, "I never regret going to the demo. Get uuuuuup." It's like I have just enough energy to weigh the pros and cons of sleeping through whatever it is, and all I can muster is, "I never regret it."
And I didn't. The demonstration lasted longer than usual, and there was a really good vibe about it. People didn't scatter at the first round of gas. Some of the shebab pulled at the barbed wire fence and threw stones over the wall, but the gas was directed at them, and everyone else was able to re-locate upwind and maintain their position upfront. A lot of jokes, a lot of shouting at the soldiers and settlers, a lot of "shame on you's." In my opinion, that gets to the heart of it. We're not there to make the settlers think that we could storm the wall and hurt them. We're there to oppose the normalization of the settlement. After some fringe-gassing and a lot of standing around, the demo ended very calmly and quietly. I did an interview with Palestine News Network, and I met some really awesome people afterwards, including a Palestinian American working for an org back home (I believe it's the Institute for Middle East Understanding) and he told me that his team could help me get set up if I was interested in writing an op-ed for newspapers back home. Now that's an intriguing thought....we exchanged info.
And there was a small group of social workers from Britain who were interested in connecting Palestinian social workers with British and Norwegian groups, and someday the World Federation of Social Workers.
Here's what Dave told me in the Popular Committee office, over juice and coffee and chocolate wafers:
"I just can't get over the warmth here. I wish I could bottle it up, and take it out whenever I'm having a bad meeting, then I'll be like, alright, I'm ready to go..."
They were a sweet group.
Here's the report from today:
Waves of freedom
Dozens of demonstrators tear-gassed in the village of Bil'in west of Ramallah.
Dozens of demonstrators suffered from asphyxiation in the weekly march organized by the Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements in Bil'in this Friday. Present at the demonstration was a Norwegian delegation from the Palestinian Cultural Exchange Foundation and dozens of Palestinians and international and Israeli peace activists.
The march began after Friday prayers, heading from the center of the village to the land that was liberated after the separation fence was dismantled in June. Participants raised Palestinian flags and a banner reading Waves of Freedom, in honor of the Irish and Canadian ships heading to Gaza to break the siege. The demonstration also commemorated the signing of the Balfour Declaration on November 2nd, 1917. They shouted patriotic slogans calling for the departure of the occupation, destruction of the apartheid wall, freedom and rights for Palestinian prisoners, and an end to the siege on the Gaza Strip.
Upon their arrival to the Abu Lemon nature reserve, some local participants were able to remove some of the barbed wire and iron posts that surround the wall. The demonstration continued for some time, during which some local participants threw stones over the wall. The soldiers behind the concrete wall shot tear gas canisters at these participants, as well as journalists and international witnesses.
I'm in Luban Alsharqia tonight with the Daragmeh's. We ate a huge feast of Gidri (pictures to come) and I danced dabke with the sisters until I ready to pass out. I heard a really catchy Fairooz song that I want to find. Moheeb told me that Arabs love Fairooz in the morning. It's like waking up and craving something sweet, and that something is Fairooz. I asked the sisters, "you like Fairooz in the morning?" Yes, they replied. Fairooz in the morning. I think that's beautiful. I need to locate a Best Of CD and begin my music education.
Tomorrow the Muslims fast for the day, then Eid Al-Adha begins. I'd love to see how the Daragmeh's celebrate Eid Al-Adha, and the offer is on the table (is it ever...), but
Thursday, November 3, 2011
I'm in Deir Jareer now. The cities are PACKED with people doing holiday shopping because Sunday is the first day of Eid Al-Adha. It's a holiday for slaughtering sheeps and feeding the poor. It was fun walking around Nablus and Ramallah on the way to Deir Jareer today, a very festive (albeit ridiculously crowded) atmosphere.
Ahmad applied to get a permit to go to Israel during the break, but was informed that Israel is rejecting permits as part of its reaction to the UNESCO vote. Damn dude.
He's looking at his Hebrew-Arabic dictionary right now. Words of the day:
Hebrew: haj esmech amvorach (Happy Eid!)
Arabic: ana mushawash (I'm confused.)
Other news:
Also, the new Gaza flotilla is a day and a half from Gaza. They're waiting to sail into Gaza during daylight hours, and they're trained in non-violent resistance, kinda like the Greensboro Four...Godspeed!
And State Department Representative Victoria Nuland had another press briefing on the Administration's response to Israel's settlement acceleration and freezing of PA tax money. She got raked over the coals by more than Matt Lee this time, it's getting really entertaining.
QUESTION: Does the Administration find it unpalatable that it has to go to another government, to other government officials, to lobby members of its own legislature?
MS. NULAND: I reject the premise of your statement.
bahaha!
Briefing transcript
Not sure where I'll be tomorrow night...and that's the way I like it...
Ben Lee moments are the best!
So pleeeeeeeeease, baby please
Open your heeeeeeeaaart
And catch my diseeeease....
*double clap*
Ahmad applied to get a permit to go to Israel during the break, but was informed that Israel is rejecting permits as part of its reaction to the UNESCO vote. Damn dude.
He's looking at his Hebrew-Arabic dictionary right now. Words of the day:
Hebrew: haj esmech amvorach (Happy Eid!)
Arabic: ana mushawash (I'm confused.)
Other news:
Also, the new Gaza flotilla is a day and a half from Gaza. They're waiting to sail into Gaza during daylight hours, and they're trained in non-violent resistance, kinda like the Greensboro Four...Godspeed!
And State Department Representative Victoria Nuland had another press briefing on the Administration's response to Israel's settlement acceleration and freezing of PA tax money. She got raked over the coals by more than Matt Lee this time, it's getting really entertaining.
QUESTION: Does the Administration find it unpalatable that it has to go to another government, to other government officials, to lobby members of its own legislature?
MS. NULAND: I reject the premise of your statement.
bahaha!
Briefing transcript
Not sure where I'll be tomorrow night...and that's the way I like it...
Ben Lee moments are the best!
So pleeeeeeeeease, baby please
Open your heeeeeeeaaart
And catch my diseeeease....
*double clap*
Haha, IDF Spokesmen should know to leave Michigan alone....
Proud Arab students from Wayne State University and Fordson staged a silent walk-out and a demonstration in response to IDF spokesman Gil Hoffman's appearance and message "If you want free education go to Israeli prisons!"..
A proud moment for the future leaders, and a loud message to take back to Israel "FREE, FREE PALESTINE!"
And just for good measure, last year's University of Michigan walk-out...
Proud Arab students from Wayne State University and Fordson staged a silent walk-out and a demonstration in response to IDF spokesman Gil Hoffman's appearance and message "If you want free education go to Israeli prisons!"..
A proud moment for the future leaders, and a loud message to take back to Israel "FREE, FREE PALESTINE!"
And just for good measure, last year's University of Michigan walk-out...
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