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.
.png)