Black Power and Palestine
We're underestimating the connectivity of our struggles
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As Israel’s war in Palestine continues, there has been a growing argument taking place online. The crux of it is, do Black voters have an obligation to support Palestine? Influencers on every platform have weighed in on the topic; author and writer Michael Harriot wrote a take that tried to understand both sides while seemingly attempting to speak up for the Black community. In his post titled, “Why Pro-Palestine activists are Beefing with Kamala Harris’ Black Supporters, Michael says,
“Asking Black Americans to sacrifice the lives and futures of the people in their community for the sake of a community that has not demonstrated reciprocal support is like asking Selmans to sacrifice their skulls so virtue-signaling visitors can participate in a realistic civil rights fantasy camp.”
Michael’s point, I assume, is that Black voters have a right to center their interests. While some may disagree, he’s correct; they do. Black voters have a right and should center their interests, but the part he doesn’t say is that our interests align with the people of Palestine. Think about it: to truly change the conditions of Black people in this country, we must dismantle white supremacy, which means confronting it wherever it manifests! Speaking of, have you heard what’s going on in Mississippi?
On April 21st, 2023, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves signed House Bill 1020 into law. The bill garnered national attention and was constructed from a “concern of the rising crime rate in Mississippi.” According to Mississippi Today, the bill “creates a separate judicial district in the whiter and more affluent areas of Jackson, the nation’s Blackest large city.” Additionally, the “Judges in the district will be appointed by the white chief justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court instead of elected by the majority Black voters,” effectively stripping 79% of Black people in that city of their right to select their leadership.
under the new law, “an additional court will be created to hear misdemeanors and conduct preliminary hearings for felony cases.” It also gives the state’s Department of Public Safety the authority to send people convicted of a misdemeanor to prison.
Previously, if the charge carried jail time, they would serve their sentences in local jails. This law is a tiny part of an extensive system built to oppress and silence the largest population of Black people in the United States. Black Mississippians live under a government that over-polices their communities, starves them of resources, and undermines their right to vote. Right now, up to 15% of Black adults in Mississippi can not vote because of strict Felony Disenfranchisement laws. There have been several attempts to change this, including a bipartisan bill that made it to the governor's desk, but he rejected it. Black people in Mississippi are currently living under a government that does not view them as equal citizens. Their reality is what donald trump is promising to transform the country into with Project 2025. Meanwhile, 6,697 miles away, there are the people of Palestine.
According to a report from Amnesty International, “Palestinian citizens of Israel are denied a nationality, establishing a legal differentiation from Jewish Israelis. In the West Bank and Gaza, where Israel has controlled the population registry since 1967, Palestinians have no citizenship, and most are considered stateless, requiring ID cards from the Israeli military to live and work in the territories.” Their communities, like ours, are aggressively policed and controlled by an oppositional government. If nothing else, we share the bond of collective pain.
Since the horrible actions of the terrorist group Hamas on October 7th, over 40,000 Palestinian people have been killed by the Israeli Military. Innocent women, men, and children have been bombed in their homes, hospitals, and schools. The stunning cruelty of this situation has made national news and led to South Africa accusing Israel of committing genocide.
Sometimes, it feels like a new thing is happening in the world at every moment, but if you’re paying close attention, you’ll see that history is repeating itself more often than not. The brutality Palestinians face is allowed because of the Military might of Israel, America's collaboration, and the painting of an entire group of people as a threat. If we don’t speak up about state-sanctioned violence, it only creates space for more of it to sprout. We can stand with Palestinians and stand up for our communities simultaneously. Our future depends on it.
Too many people are suffering; sign this petition to demand a ceasefire and an end to this conflict.
Always grateful for your voice, Stan. Ceasefire now.