AN UPDATE from DCPFAF

Our statement of grief, and how we can come together in support

As you are reading this, a brutal genocidal campaign is unfolding in Gaza. Over the past 4 weeks, we have witnessed in horror as Israel’s occupation forces–supported and funded by the US government and our tax dollars– indiscriminately killed more than 10,000 Palestinians, displacing 1.4 million and destroying almost half of Gaza. Across historic Palestine, the Nakba is continuing. At least 144 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank, thousands have been targeted and detained by the occupation forces and armed settlers, and hundreds have been forced to leave their homes and villages. 

We are grieving, we are enraged, and we are fighting. 

As a collective founded and led by Palestinian women, we are committed to honoring our community from DC to Palestine as we struggle for collective liberation. We continue to hold space for the voices of our people in a world that is actively trying to silence us. We will keep fighting until WE ARE FREE.

Now is the time to demand change, show your support, and amplify Palestinian voices. In this update, we’ll share a few ways to take action, and an opportunity to come together in-person in DC. 

Updates & Advocacy Resources

The following organizations are offering on-the-ground updates and resources to make your voice heard to elected officials and others in power.

• U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights | Follow for advocacy action updates. Call and email congress using the scripts and actions tools in their STOP GAZA GENOCIDE Toolkit

• Institute for Middle East Understanding | Stay up to date on breaking news and updates across Palestine.

• Palestine Legal | Follow for resources for individuals facing censorship.

• Palestinian Youth Movement | Follow for updates and to find direct actions and protests near you.

Aid Organizations

The following organizations are providing medical and humanitarian aid to Palestinians.

• ANERA

• Palestine Children's Relief Fund

Palestinian Voices

Here are some writings, art, film and other forms of creative expression to engage and amplify Palestinian voices.

• “Why Must Palestinians Audition for Your Empathy?” New York Times op-ed by Palestinian author, Hala Alyan

• Subhi Taha, a social media strategist and creator using online mediums like Instagram to share updates and information about Palestine

• Cherien Dabis, Palestinian filmmaker, writer and actress whose films and TV shows tell Palestinian and Arab stories

• Museum of the Palestinian People, a museum in Washington D.C. devoted to preserving and celebrating Palestinian history, arts and culture

• Arab Film and Media Institute, an organization working to enhance public understanding of Arab culture through film; this month, AFMI is curating a series of short and feature films to amplify Palestinian voices

Join us next week

Join us in-person on November 9 at 5:30 PM ET for “Gaza on Screen”, a free film screening and discussion. We are partnering with the Georgetown Center for Contemporary Arab Studies to screen three Palestinian films that provide historical and urgent context to the ongoing violence in Gaza: To My Father (Abdelsalam Shehadeh), Daggit Gaza (Hadeel Assali and Iman Saqr) and Scenes from the Occupation in Gaza (Mustafa Abu Ali).

Following the screening, Nadia Yaqub, editor of the new anthology, Gaza on Screen, and Joan Mandell, documentary filmmaker, “Gaza Ghetto”, will lead a conversation and Q&A.

Learn more and register here. We hope to see you there.

With power,

The DC Palestinian Film and Arts Festival Team