PALESTINE WRITES 2023 Literature Festival September 22-24 University of Pennsylvania Lenni-Lenape Homeland, Turtle Island*

 

The festival is set to take place at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, on the homeland of the Lenni Lenape Nation of Turtle Island*.

The first-ever Palestine Writes festival, in 2020, was digital, while the upcoming 2023 iteration will be a primarily in-person event. 

According to organizers, the festival is set to include “panel discussions, presentations, book readings, workshops, music, dance, food, oral storytelling, an art exhibit, photography, and continuous children’s programming.”

The festival, the only North American literature festival dedicated to celebrating and promoting cultural productions of Palestinian writers and artists, was “born from the pervasive exclusion from or tokenization of Palestinian voices in mainstream literary institutions,” and aims to bring “Palestinian cultural workers from all parts of Historic Palestine and our exiled Diaspora together with peers from other marginalized groups in the United States.”

A program is forthcoming at the Palestine Writes website. You can also follow them on Twitter at @PalestineWrites.

"Palestinians are an ancient indigenous people from a fabled and tortured land. No matter who holds the guns and power over our homeland, our nation is deeply rooted in its soil, which cradles our collective memory, as it does the bones of our ancestors. All of our traditions, our stories, folklore, poetry, culinary forms, superstitions, traditional clothing, architecture, art, and cultural habits were born in that singular patch of earth over the span of millennia. Palestine Writes exists as an artistic and literary space to hold dear and celebrate and share the magnificence of Palestine’s indigenous heritage, particularly as powerful forces work tirelessly to erase us."   AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE ORIGINAL LINK TO READ and THINK IN FULL ->  https://palestinewrites.org/

*Turtle Island is a First Peoples' name for Earth or North America. The name is based on a creation story common to several early ancestors & indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands of North America.

Wonderful story about Rahaf Othman and the importance of culturally competent teaching: Students Thrive When They Feel Welcomed in Schools

Palestinian Students Thrive When They Feel Welcomed in Schools

A Palestinian educator shares her experience and the value of inclusive classrooms

Key Takeaways

1. Students do better in school when their cultures and backgrounds are recognized.
2. Culturally responsive teaching helps to affirm and support students.
3. Learn how to create an inclusive classroom and more.

 Like many educators, Rahaf Othman knew from an early age that she wanted to grow up to be a teacher. “I used to play school with my younger siblings. I always had to be the teacher and they the students,” she fondly recalls. She also loved learning about the world around her.

But her love of learning was almost jeopardized after a classroom lesson went amiss. Othman’s fifth grade teacher gave students an assignment to select and research a country of their choice and present their findings to the class.

“I was born in Palestine. We immigrated to the United States as refugees—that's my history … and I was excited to share it,” she says. “I said to my teacher, ‘I want to do my presentation on Palestine.’ She looked at me compassionately and said, ‘Sweetie, Palestine doesn't exist. Do you want to do it on Israel or someplace else?’

“That conversation broke me,” shares Othman, adding that her grades went from passing to failing. She shut down, stopped caring about school, and was filled with questions about her identity.

She remembers thinking at the time, “If my teacher doesn't recognize where I'm from and doesn’t recognize my background—doesn’t see me—who am I?”

The following year things turned around for Othman. What made the difference?

“The teacher asked me where I was from, and I told her Palestine. She embraced it! She asked me to share with my classmates about [my homeland] and bring in artifacts and talk about them,” she says. “She completely rejuvenated me as a person and my education.”

She started to care about school again and went back to earning good grades and making honor roll.

Today, Othman is a 26-year veteran educator who teaches high school social studies in the southwest suburbs of Chicago, Ill.

While this incident in her fifth-grade classroom happened in the late 1980s, Othman says it’s common for Palestinian students today to encounter a similar experience.

Why Cultural Competence is Important

The southwest suburbs of Chicago have a large Palestinian American population, according to a report from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. And despite their long history in the Chicagoland area and growing numbers, Othman shares that parents in neighboring school districts have “come to me complaining that their children’s geography class teachers are telling students Palestine does not exist,” she says. “It’s heartbreaking.”

More awareness of the Palestinian community is needed, and students need to feel affirmed and supported, adds Othman.

Culturally responsive teaching can help. An established body of research affirms what educators have long known: A culturally responsive and racially inclusive education benefits all ... AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE ORIGINAL  LINK TO READ AND THINK ABOUT THIS STORY IN FULL -> https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/palestinian-students-thrive-when-they-feel-welcomed-schools

Jerusalem... painting by Nabil Anani of Palestine

Jerusalem, 2013 painting by Nabil Anani 

about

Palestinian-American film director, Hala Gabriel, tells her family's survival story after Israeli forces massacred hundreds of Palestinians in the village of Tantura in 1948

Palestinian-American poet Fady Joudah #nakba75 #Nakba #Mimesis

We will never give up... #Palestine

 

Nadeen Ayoub: Passionate humanitarian making history as Miss Palestine

February 13, 2023

 “We as Palestinians have such a rich culture and the Arab world, in general, has a lot to offer. I think it’s amazing to have the chance to represent that…and I don’t take it lightly,” is how Nadeen Ayoub, or Miss Palestine, describes her drive to compete in international pageantry and represent Palestine.

Crowned Miss Earth Water 2022 at only 24, Nadeen Ayoub made history as the first Palestinian woman to win a major international beauty pageant. Ayoub is not only a Palestinian beauty queen, she is a humanitarian and advocate passionate about women’s health and making a difference in her community. Ayoub shared pageantry for her is about “breaking stereotypes of Palestinians and Arabs in the media.” As a longtime health and fitness coach, she emphasized that her drive behind her work is to show that “Arab women are strong, have a lot to offer, are educated, and beautiful. And not just beautiful on the outside but we can teach the world about Palestinian culture and history.”  

Ayoub grew up living between Palestine, the US, and Canada. Even though she moved around the world, her parent’s made sure to remain grounded in Palestine and proud of their heritage. Ayoub’s family roots span from Yafa and throughout the West Bank. As a teen, Ayoub had a determined spirit and completed certification programs in both fitness and nutrition all while she was in high school. After graduating with her BA in Literature and Psychology from Canada, Ayoub moved back to Palestine to work as a women’s fitness coach, nutrition counselor, and psychology teacher in the Palestinian West Bank. 

It wasn’t until after Ayoub graduated from college that she made the decision to compete in beauty pageants. After being approached several times by recruiters, Ayoub competed in Miss Europe, where she was crowned in the top five. Following her European win, she was invited by scouts to apply to be Miss Palestine and compete in Miss Earth 2022. Ayoub made the decision to join the prestigious competition. She believed it was a unique opportunity to celebrate Palestine on an international platform. 

Miss Earth is one of the four “big league” pageants, which also includes Miss Universe and Miss World. Ayoub is the first Palestinian woman to be chosen to compete in a major beauty competition since 2016. Uniquely, Miss Earth focuses on raising awareness about the environment (“beauty for a cause”), giving Ayoub the opportunity to speak out about environmental protection in Palestine, focusing on the endangered Palestinian gazelle. While competing in Miss Earth in the Philippines, Ayoub traveled to different islands to work with local environmental groups and community leaders. 

Ayoub won through the support of her community. Palestinians from all over the world reached out to help her, including make-up artists, photographers, fashion designers, and more. Ayoub said that her historic win is not only for herself but “for all Palestinians in Palestine and the diaspora.”  

Today, Ayoub is continuing her humanitarian and local work by starting a fundraiser to help children in need of medical aid for a hospital in Nablus. Based in Qatar, Ayoub regularly meets and speaks with groups of young Arab women to talk about their futures, overcoming challenges, and building confidence in achieving their goals. Ayoub remains deeply committed to the Palestinian art community, working with groups to promote Palestinian culture and uplift Palestinian creators. Ayoub shared that her “Palestinian heritage and community is what continues to ground her to be confident, proud, and to compete on a global stage.”

 

As always please go to the original link to read the story in full ... and on IMEU please look around and read some more important facts and true stories about Palestine     

https://imeu.org/article/nadeen-ayoub-passionate-humanitarian-making-history-as-miss-palestine

8 Million Palestinian men, women, and children live as refugees today. They're still waiting to return home #Nakba75

Untold stories and facts on all things #Palestine. We connect press to expert sources: info@imeu.org. https://imeu.org/   Subscribe to our podcast: http://pod.link/1509337661

 

This May marks 75 years since the #Nakba of 1948, when Israeli militias forced over 75% of the Palestinian population out of their homes in order to steal their land and found the Israeli state. 

 

 

Check out this essential new NAKBA resource, PROJECT48! A hub for Nakba Education, including a robust curriculum, galleries of images & artifacts, and survivor testimonies. #nakba75 

Click here: https://project48.com

PROJECT48

75 Years On: Palestinians Hold Strong to Land and Dreams of Return

On the World Press Freedom Day, we remember Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was murdered by Israeli snipers on May 11, 2022, in Jenin.

 

The Art of Memory & Hope = Palestine #olives # grapes #pomegranates

 

CONNECT THE DOTS: 1917 ... 1948 ... 2023

RACISM: 1917 "Jerusalem Is Rescued By British After 673 Years Of Moslem Rule"

 

1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights "Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world..."

The Beginning of Forced Displacement of Palestinians

The Nakba
During 1947 and 1948, Israel systematically demolished 531 Palestinian villages inside the area that became Israel. More than 200 of these villages were destroyed, and between 250,000 and 350,000 people were displaced before May 1948 when the first Arab-Israeli war officially began.

A 67-year-old Palestinian man in the Dehaishe refugee camp displays the original key and title deeds to the home his family abandoned when they fled their village in the 1948 war in Israel

1948 UN Resolution 194: The United Nations General Assembly adopts resolution 194 (III), resolving that “refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbours should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date, and that compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return and for loss of or damage to property which, under principles of international law or equity, should be made good by the Governments or authorities responsible.”  ....

Greenwashing refers to when a state or organization appeals to environmentalism in order to deflect attention from its harmful practices. Robbing The Refugees   

 

Since 1948, thanks to Zionism