Disability Justice, Palestinian Justice, Survival Campaigns, & ‘Eight Families in Gaza’

Today I finished something I have been working on this past week, something I have wanted to make for some time now. In a way, it is a version of the presentation I have been giving in my local community, and it contains much of the same information I have shared in the introduction to the in-person program, “Eight Families in Gaza: Amplifying Their Voices.” 

While I don't share specific information about specific families in this video presentation, I do talk about the background, the context, and the reasons for the presentations, as well as my entry way into this, and the origin of my connection to the families I have been trying to connect to my local and area communities. 

The video explains how I met the families I have collaborated with to build these presentations, the families who I have been speaking about and raising support for, and I also talk a fair bit about the relationship between Disability Justice & Palestinian Justice. I explain how supporting mutual aid and survival campaigns are integral to our commitment to solidarity, and how the Principles of Disability Justice have led me to the development of a framework that I think can enhance our media literacy skills and guide our actions. 

This video is also an attempt to answer questions that come up from community members regarding crowdfunding efforts and donations for families in Gaza, and I offer it also as a pathway to help people understand how they can become more involved with these efforts. 

Currently, more support for the families I am trying to support is urgently needed, as donations have slowed down dramatically, and no aid is reaching anyone. Additionally, the winter weather and rain is causing catastrophic disasters, while no one has adequate shelter, protection, or warmth. 

Tonight and in the coming days, I am going to work on updating some of the individual campaign pages for the families I write for or co-manage, and then I also hope to send out an email to my personal contacts list soon, a list which thankfully keeps growing. I am hoping that these efforts will generate more donations, as right now every single family does not have enough coming in to support them, and I am truly worried about their survival if nothing changes soon. 

I will also share a link to this latest video, in case it can address questions, remove any barriers that potential donors might have, or be a source of encouragement for others as they talk to their own contacts and try to generate support for these families. Anything you can do to help with this effort is needed and appreciated. 

In closing, I want to add that I was in the middle of finishing edits to this video when I learned of the passing of Alice Wong, who is someone I always quote during the in-person presentations, and someone whose words, actions, and life have impacted me greatly. Although we never met, I consider her to have been part of my community. Even though she did not know me personally, her presence in my life has been very strong, and I would not be who I am without her. I would not be who I am without having learned so much from her and without having been deeply and profoundly affected by her. And I know I am not the only one who can say this. I mourn her passing, I celebrate her life, and I will always be grateful to her. Thank you, Alice, now and forever.

Celebrating Mahdi's Birthday & The Importance of Community

During these past nine to ten months, as I've sought more connection with my local and area communities, as I've tried to find and create spaces to introduce people here to families I am close to in Gaza, and as I've tried to make the connection between Palestine and Bellingham more clear, I have consistently heard the same message from so many people. It is a message of gratitude, emotion, and relief--it is an expression of words and feelings. It is frequently accompanied by tears, hugs, or a squeeze of my hand. If I had to try and summarize the essence of what I have heard time and time again, it is something like this:

"Thank you for sharing what you have shared, for giving us an opportunity to be in community with other people who feel the same way. Thank you for being here, for making a place where we can name and talk about what is being done and how wrong it is. I haven't known what to do. I have felt this destroying me. I have been overwhelmed. I am grateful for knowing about something tangible I can do, understand, and help with--I am thankful to those who are creating spaces where our feelings are normalized, validated, and understood. And thanks to everyone who is doing this in ways that are public and inviting."  

I am not attributing these words to any one specific person, but rather this is my attempt to capture a synthesis of many many outpourings of expressions that have come to me in so many different spaces from people from all walks of life,  people of all ages identities and genders and religions, from all backgrounds and professions and lived experiences. 

This gratitude and appreciation expressed by so many in my local communities truly belongs to the families in Gaza. They are the ones who have made these conversations and connections possible. It is through them I have found my true community, both in physical and online spaces. It is through them that I have found people and friends who have become more significant and important to me than I would have ever imagined possible, both in Palestine, and also in Bellingham, and even throughout the world. 

I also have come to realize there are many people who are searching for places and ways to support each other, to fight oppression, to transform this world through their love and solidarity. And so it is important that we keep finding ways to create opportunities to come together and connect with this in mind. I feel strongly that this is one of the ways we can understand both what is needed and what is possible.

And all of this also makes me think of yesterday. Yesterday was a very special day, the birthday of sweet Mahdi, the son of Leila and Yanis, my dear friends and beloved family who I have written about before,  and who I speak and share on behalf of during the community presentations. During the recent 'Pizza for Palestine' event hosted by the wonderful Goat Mountain Pizza, I was very worried because Yanis had told me earlier that morning that Mahdi was very very ill. He had a respiratory infection, and I could hear his labored breathing during a sweet voicenote they sent me that day, as Mahdi was still eager to send me a greeting despite being so sick. 

The fundraiser that evening was focused on trying to raise emergency funds for families in Gaza to buy warm clothes, tents, and blankets to help them get through the cold winter. Last year, infants and babies died of hypothermia and exposure, and the harsh winter weather caused an outbreak of illness and disease among many people. Another dangerous season looms as families are even worse off than they were last year, and thankfully, what we raised that evening went towards helping the families we are trying to support. 

However, sweet Mahdi ended up being hospitalized later the next morning as his condition worsened overnight and his fever spiked and would not lower. The antibiotics and medicine they needed for Mahdi were difficult to find, as the entry of medical supplies into Gaza continues to be blocked by Israel. But thankfully, after much searching and expense, Yanis secured what was needed for Mahdi. There was a particularly scary 48-hour period when Yanis and Leila remained unsleeping and vigilant by Mahdi's side, and many of us in Bellingham added our prayers to theirs, our feelings of love and concern strong and fierce across these many miles. 

How relieved we were when Mahdi's fever broke, when he began responding to treatment and showed signs of improvement. And when he was released from the hospital and Yanis sent me the good news, I realized I had a chain of people here in Bellingham who I needed to text, to tell them he was doing better-- friends who had been praying and caring and worrying. How wonderful this news was and how happy we all were, many of us shedding tears of joy. 

And while I am very grateful that it was mainly thanks to the fundraising event that Yanis and Leila could afford the medical care Mahdi needed, this also means they are still in need of funds in order to afford the warm clothing and improvements to their tent for which we were trying to fundraise. And it is the exposure to the cold that caused Mahdi to get so sick in the first place, so now we are back to hoping we can find a way to help them get what they need so that they can stay well and survive this dangerous winter.  

And, in the midst of all of this, yesterday was Mahdi's birthday. He turned three years old, which was a reason to celebrate and a most joyful occasion. Together with friends we were able to create a special present for him, which I am also sharing with you now.  The act of creating this video was another example of how families in Gaza are bringing us together, giving us opportunities to find and create moments of joy and connection, understanding and hope. These are the things that sustain us, and I am forever grateful to them for this. 

If you would like to contribute to Mahdi and his family's survival campaign, you can do so online via their Chuffed campaign page, and you can even sign up to make automatic weekly donations. You can also email me at clarissjanae@gmail.com  if you would prefer to give me funds for them instead, which I will send to them on your behalf. I hope to be able to transfer an installment of funds soon, as soon as we have at least $300 built up again. (In case it helps to know, they need between $800-$1000 for their winter protection funds for shelter, blankets, and clothing, in addition to between $100  to $150 per day minimum for food and essentials.) Anything you can give is needed and will help. 

'Pizza for Palestine' Fundraiser at Goat Mountain Pizza, Sunday November 2, 2025

 

Looking forward to this special event happening tomorrow, Sunday, November 2, 2025 from 4 to 8 pm at Goat Mountain Pizza Company, and I want to say a special thank you to everyone who is making this event possible. Thanks to the Whatcom Coalition for Palestine, to Whatcom Families for Justice in Palestine, to my friends who are helping organize this event, and to Goat Mountain Pizza for hosting us. And a huge thank you to Tam Tam Pizza for the inspiration and for the previous fundraiser that was so impactful, beautiful, and life-sustaining.

Tomorrow's event will help us raise funds for these eight families in Gaza who are now personally connected to the Bellingham community, as they try to survive the winter and take care of each other. They are in urgent need of warm clothing, blankets, and better shelter, and your support will make a difference. I will be on hand throughout the entire event to answer questions, give updates about the families, and enjoy being in community with everyone. I hope to see you there! (P.S. There will also be both vegan and gluten-free pizza options.)