Educating Ourselves toward a Free Palestine
Since October 7th of last year, at least 42,612 Palestinians have been killed and 1,139 people have been killed in Israel (Al Jazeera). An attack on Israel led to a genocidal campaign to destroy Gaza which has been backed by the U.S. Government. The Coalition mourns the civilian loss of life regardless of their traditions, ethnic identities, or political identities and wishes for a world without war. We know that everyone cannot be safe and free until Israeli apartheid falls. We stand in solidarity for a free Palestine and echo the calls for a permanent ceasefire.
On this solemn anniversary, we urge you to continue learning and hold spaces for reflective, empathetic conversation. When we speak out as a Coalition we are lifting up the voices of many youth we’ve worked with who have shared a desire to discuss Palestine, Sudan, and the Congo in school; youth who have staged and led school walkouts calling for a ceasefire and end to apartheid. The majority of youth who applied for our Summer Social Justice Camp, said they were interested in learning about genocide, human rights, and/or current events. We spent a day of camp covering current global events and genocide. Participants shared their learning at the end of camp:
“I learned a lot more about the history of Palestine and Israel to understand why this massive genocide is happening on the other side of the world.”
“The Palestine/Israel conflict–I never really heard much about it because the news ended up burying it, and finally understanding the motives and the likes is really enlightening.”
Here are some resources:
Attend the Vermont Palestine Conference on Oct. 19th 10am-7pm in Burlington hosted by the Vermont Coalition for Palestinian Liberation. This will be a state-wide educational and activist conference about the struggle to free Palestine. It is free and open to the public, but they encourage those who can to donate $10 to defray costs. To protect the health of all attending, masks will be required. The ONE Center’s building and parking lot is ADA accessible. Thanks to the People’s Kitchen, the conference will provide a Halal lunch including vegan options for all attending.
Independence or Catastrophe? Teaching Palestine through multiple perspectives - Rethinking Schools. This article provides a framework for teaching about Palestine through fact, perspective, narrative, and “my truth”.
Teaching About Palestine-Israel and the Unfolding Genocide in Gaza - Zinn Education Project
Decolonize Palestine: Palestine 101 - A great starting point for anyone wanting to learn more about this topic
Free Ebooks for a Free Palestine! - Take a deeper dive into learning by reading one of these ebooks
Educators for social justice have a responsibility to teach about human rights throughout the world. Students deserve the opportunity to think critically about what is happening in our world. Together we can create a world where all people are humanized, safe, and have their needs met.
