In Solidarity
by Sonya Childress and Sahar Driver
As the stewards of an organization committed to storytelling that uplifts our humanity and solidarity work that moves our world closer to justice, we are compelled to join global voices speaking out about the catastrophe unfolding in Gaza. While we do not typically amplify our personal positions on non-media related issues, the scale of this crisis and the collective punishment of Palestinian civilians and children who have no option to escape Gaza demands our voices. There are some moments in history that require a response.
These events hit home for many members of the Color Congress community and our allies who are struggling right now. One of our member organizations, the Arab Film and Media Institute, had to make the very difficult decision to postpone their annual film festival to make space for grieving in this very difficult time (see their public statement). We have heard reports from our members about the harassment and physical assault that Palestinian people and their allies in their communities are facing — on campuses, online, at work, in the streets — all for expressing empathy for the people of Palestine who are facing state violence at a scale and with clarity of purpose that can only be described as genocidal.
Our hearts break for the many people who are currently suffering the consequences of decades of occupation, settler colonialism, and apartheid governance by the Israeli state, which has led to the murder and abduction of Israeli and Palestinian civilians and to the latest humanitarian crisis in Gaza. These events have increased antisemitism and Islamophobia in the US and elsewhere, making our communities unsafe. We advocate for an immediate ceasefire, because, as history has shown, there is no military solution to this crisis.
We find hope in the acts of moral courage and solidarity we witness coming from every corner. When the Film Lab Palestine had to cancel its annual festival, Palestine Cinema Days, which was scheduled for the first week of November, they asked allies around the world with access to screening platforms or venues to hold screenings of Palestinian films on November 2, 2023, at 8 pm local time, as a coordinated global arts and media action. Many Color Congress member organizations rallied quickly to collaborate on in-person screenings in Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco and New York City as well as virtual screening events, while the Arab Film and Media Institute pulled together a month-long series of free screenings called Palestinian Voices. Now, as always, human-centered and nuanced, critical storytelling is essential to how we understand the historical context for these latest events and how we move forward together.
May this moment remind us that when we move together in principle, we can ensure that another world is possible.
— Sonya & Sahar, Color Congress Co-Directors
The views shared in this post are the views of the writer(s) alone and do not reflect the views of all Color Congress member organizations.
