Palestine and Anti-Blackness: A Conversation

When talking about Black/Palestinian solidarity, it is inevitable that the topic of anti-Blackness within the Palestinian community will come up.

No population is exempt from anti-Blackness, it is at the foundation of many systems of racial oppression and imperialism around the world. And the Palestinian community - both in Palestine and across the diaspora - is no exception to this.

But I’ve long had a few frustrations with how anti-Blackness within the Palestinian community is discussed.

1. Anti-Blackness within the Palestinian community is often only brought up when Black/Palestinian solidarity is high, and often by people who wish to create divisions within our communities. And, most importantly:

2. Discussions of anti-Blackness within the Palestinian community often leave out those most impacted by anti-Blackness in the Palestinian community: Afro-Palestinians.

So, since this month is dedicated to Palestinian Liberation and Black Liberation, I couldn’t not discuss anti-Blackness. But I wanted to do so with some care.

And so, I reached out to my friend Majd Baniodeh and asked if she’d be willing to chat with me about anti-Blackness in the Palestinian community. Majd is an Afro-Palestinian born and raised in Palestine, with a Black Palestinian mother and a light-skinned Palestinian father. She has experienced anti-Blackness in both Palestine in the US, but her experience is very much informed by the horrific anti-Palestinian violence of the Israeli state and the U.S..

This video was originally supposed to be about 10 minutes long, but there were so many important things that we covered, that I decided to split this video into two segments. Part 2 of this conversation will go live next week - so make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it!

These conversations can be tricky and uncomfortable. But having hard conversations with love and care are vital for maintaining community and collective liberation. Here you will find two friends who have spent the last 15 months marching together and supporting each other, talking with each other in a way that has helped keep our bond as strong as it is.

I’m so grateful to my friend Majd for being willing to talk with me for this project. This has been an incredibly traumatic year for her and so many Palestinians, and her time and care in this conversation is a generosity.