Despite many challenges, the Palestinian community proved resilient Dear Email, Considering that we found out that our original venue canceled us a month before our convention was set to take place, AMP’s 16th Annual Convention for Palestine in the US was a resounding success thanks to your support! We had record-breaking numbers of attendees, with more than 4,500 overall, including more than 1,500 in the kids, youth, and college programs. People from around the nation gathered under somber circumstances, while our brothers and sisters in Gaza dug bodies out of the rubble and struggled to find food and water to stay alive. However, we were determined to show our people in Gaza that we would not allow attempts to shut us down and prevent us from gathering our community, celebrating our culture, learning about our history, and telling the stories of our martyrs. Local media highlighted this historic gathering at the Tinley Park Convention Center near Chicago, IL.  Our main program highlighted the stories of families from Gaza who have endured loss, and yet have determined to choose life and resilience moving forward, on the path toward liberation. Our speakers from across the nation and beyond focused on utilizing the tools available to tell our stories and advocate for our people. We also discussed the importance of political and civic engagement and letting our lawmakers know that our votes need to be earned rather than taken for granted. We will hold those in power in media and in government accountable for being complicit in a genocide against our people. Our College Activism Track was a giant success with students participating in workshops to hone their skills and share valuable lessons and resources. College students have been at the forefront of advocacy and protest for Gaza, and have been the target of a campaign to blacklist and silence them.  We sincerely thank all of our attendees, donors, vendors, sponsors, and allies for making this year’s convention one that we will remember, both for the circumstances it was held in, and also for the outpouring of love and support it elicited. At AMP, we will continue to raise awareness about what continues to unfold in Gaza, through training, media engagement, and advocacy on the local and national levels. Nationally, we will also continue to pressure our elected officials in our government for a permanent, sustainable, ceasefire, an end to aid for Israel, and an end to Israel’s occupation and apartheid regime.  Please take a moment to watch our recap video and get a sense of what unfolded at our historic convention. We have already started our preparations for our 17th edition of the convention on November 28-30, 2024 and we would like to offer a limited-time special 60% discount for next year. Click here to register for 2024. |
