The discourse around Black and Palestinian struggles for liberation during the 2024 US Presidential Election highlighted in an exceptional way how oppressive powers can target multiple populations at the same time, and do so in a way that can prevent these oppressed groups from coming together in solidarity. As both Black Americans and Palestinian-Americans were fighting for safety and justice, many felt that the goals of Black Americans and Palestinian-Americans were not only different from each other, but were a threat to each other. This perceived conflict in political goals undermined collective struggles for freedom and left us all more unsafe and disempowered than we would have been had we been able to better unite.
But there is a strong history of Black and Palestinian solidarity in our history, and there is still a great potential for it in the future. We have the opportunity to create lasting change for all of our communities, but only if we work together.
History of the current occupation of Palestine
The entire history of Palestine and the Palestinian struggle for freedom is, of course, too long to fit into one document. I highly suggest that you check out the resources listed below. But for a basic working knowledge, you can download a timeline of recent history in the Palestinian struggle for freedom that I created.
Further Reading:
Remembering the Nakba: A 70 year struggle for justice
Israeli Palestinian conflict explained: an animated introduction to Israel and Palestine
How Anti-Semitism Helped Create Israel
It's Time To Admit That Arthur Balfour Was A White Supremacist — And An Anti-Semite Too
Gaza Strip in maps: How a year of war has drastically changed life in the territory
While anti-Blackness is real within the Palestinian and Arab community, and anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab sentiment is real within the Black community (acknowledging that there are Black Palestinians and Black Arabs who must deal with the intersections of these biases every day), there is a long history of Black-Palestinian solidarity in our fights for liberation.
That solidarity has faced unique challenge since the 2024 US Presidential Election when the fight for Black liberation and the fight for Palestinian liberation and to end the genocide in Palestine were pitted against each other by those seeking to weaken both liberation movements. Pre-existing divisions were exploited and artificially enhanced to drive a wedge between Black Americans and the Palestinian community.
Further reading:
Pro-Palestine Student Activists at HBCUs Are Divided on How to Vote
‘We Know Occupation’: The Long History of Black Americans’ Solidarity with Palestinians
Black-Palestinian Solidarity in Moments of Crisis and Beyond
The Roots of Black-Palestinian Solidarity
Except for Palestine: The Limits of Progressive Politics
Refaat Alareer & Ghassan Kanafani
‘If I must die, let it be a tale’: a tribute to Refaat Alareer
Ghassan Kanafani: The life of a Palestinian writer
Why does the US support Israel?
Why do billions of our tax dollars, dollars that could do so much to help Americans in need, go to support Israel's violent occupation of Palestine? Because the U. S. support of Israel is an important part of the U. S. Global Imperialist Project.
Having a nuclear power in the middle of a resource rich region that is beholden to the U. S. and must protect the U. S. interests in the region for its survival keeps the rest of the region more in line with U. S. interests and helps secure U. S. access to resources. As Joe Biden infamously first said in 1986 and has repeated since, “If there were not an Israel, we'd have to create one.”
Further Reading:
Biden says the U.S. would have to invent an Israel if it didn’t exist. Why?
US spends more than $20bn in aid to Israel, Middle East conflicts: Report
Report: Average US Taxpayer Paid Over $5,000 Toward Militarism in 2023
What to Know About the Arab Citizens of Israel
Palestinian Citizenship in Israel
Mike Huckabee’s old-school Christian Zionism is bad news for anyone who wants Middle East peace
U. S. support of Israel doesn't just help it achieve its imperialist goals abroad. It also helps the U. S. oppress and exploit Black people here in the United States.
For many years now, the United States and Israel have exchanged technology, tactics, and training on how to control Black, Native, and Palestinian populations, as well as immigrant populations and refugee populations, Muslim populations, and basically anyone that Israel or the United States powers view as a domestic threat or inconvenience.
In this section of the podcast, it is stated that Israel has the world’s largest prison. But to be more accurate, Israel built the world’s largest detention center at the time in 2012 in the Negev desert. The primary purpose of this detention center is to imprison African asylum seekers. While it is not the largest prison in the world (that dishonor goes to a prison in the Philippines) it is the largest detention center of its kind.
Further Reading:
‘AI-assisted genocide’: Israel reportedly used database for Gaza kill lists
ShotSpotter Leak Shows That Surveillance Tech is Used to Overpolice Black and Brown Communities
Groups demand divestment from Israel at Tacoma city council
The Criminalization of Solidarity: The Stop Cop City Prosecutions
The quiet rollout of Cop Cities across the US meets a growing resistance
Getting Involved
The fight for collective liberation is not just about empathy and shared sentiment. It's about action, about tangible steps we can take in the fight for our freedom. Here are some links to learn more about how many have joined the fight for liberation
Palestinian BDS National Committee | Instagram
DEFEND THE ATLANTA FOREST | Instagram
The Palestine Academy Resources
Institute for the Critical Study of Zionism
Students for Justice in Palestine | Instagram
This Episode’s Amazing Contributors
Dr. Michelle Taylor: website | Instagram | YouTube | YouTube
Saul Williams: website | Instagram
Angelica Ross: website | Instagram | Podcast
Gabriel Teodros: website | Instagram | Bandcamp | Substack
Where you can find more Until All Of Us Are Free
Ijeoma Oluo: website | Instagram | Behind the Book | Be A Revolution
This project is created and hosted by Ijeoma Oluo
Video and podcast produced by Isabel Khalili
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