Dear John,

Today is Nakba Day, a time to recognize an ongoing event called the Nakba, or catastrophe, where Zionist forces violently stole Palestine from my ancestors in 1948. 76 years later, we're the closest to ending the Nakba than we've ever been.

👉 Keep the momentum for Palestine, if you're in the US: tell Congress to stop arming Israel!

I know that sounds crazy given the hundreds of Nakbas Israel commits in Gaza every day, but I’ve noticed an important shift recently. Growing up, most of the support for Palestine I witnessed was by…Palestinians. Nowadays I see folks from virtually every background standing with us, and the diversity in our movement has yielded the kind of power that brings colonizers to their knees. Just last week, in the spirit of Mother’s Day, CODEPINK, Raging Grannies, and a diverse crowd of mothers and grandmothers descended upon Congress to educate US officials on their impact in Gaza. They even sang for peace right outside the Capitol. 94 members of Congress are now calling for a ceasefire due to creative efforts like these! For the first time, I see Israel losing its grip on the narrative that sustained its settler-colonial project for the last 76 years.

People know the truth about Palestine, a moment I’ve waited 23 years for. Help us tell its story by submitting your positive memories from Palestine. Send the location, date and a brief description of the memory, and we’ll use it to create a map of Palestine, outlining all the beauty that persists there despite the occupation.

My great grandmother is older than the state of Israel — 110-years old to be exact. She witnessed first-hand how the Nakba destroyed and transformed life in Palestine. My parents were born into the Nakba and have had every aspect of their lives shaped by its violence. All Palestinians have Nakbas of their own. Jamal al-Dura’s Nakba happened in Gaza on September 30, 2000, when he used his own body in a desperate attempt to shield his 12-year old son, Muhammad, from being shot by Israeli forces to no avail. Jamal lives another Nakba every time Israel carpet bombs Gaza — this time around it ripped his brothers, niece, sister-in-law, and another son from him. The key difference today is that more people than ever are willing to take action to stop it. 

My great grandmother might see the end of the Nakba within her lifetime because of action-takers like you. Keep showing up at encampments, write to Congress, check out our events page and join an action near you, wear your keffiyeh, and keep talking about Gaza. If you’ve been to Palestine, help us tell the story of its beauty by submitting your positive memories from your time there.  

The Nakba is ongoing, but so is the resistance, and as long as Israel violently colonizes Palestinian land we’ll be there doing everything we can to stop it. The American activist Mariame Kaba once said, “hope is a discipline,” and that sentiment is extremely important right now. Hope empowered the journalists of Gaza to pick up their cameras and expose Israel to the world. Hope drove the students to start their encampments. Hope has kept the spirit of Palestine alive despite the Nakba. Hope motivates me to write to you, and it should motivate you to keep taking action.

👉 Take action today, and every day:

• Read about all our activities this Mother's Day!
• The Nakba is now—read the facts!
• Tell Congress to withhold weapons to Israel!
• Support the student encampments!
• Join us on 5/20 for "The Missing Peace" Community Call!
• Support our work! 

Towards Peace,

Nour and the entire CODEPINK team

PS: The Democratic National Convention is coming to Chicago, Illinois this summer and we need all hands on deck to disrupt the war criminals. Our team in Chicago will be in action all week August 19-22! CODEPINK disrupts the DNC every four years, this year will be no different. If you can make plans to join us in Chicago, RSVP here. If you’re interested in learning more, join us for an info session on Wednesday, May 22 at 8PM ET.