There’s a little girl from Gaza that I follow on Instagram named Leen. She’s two years old and posts videos making her favorite recipes. She has the biggest eyes and the chubbiest cheeks – and, despite the ongoing genocide, she always seems so happy to cook for everyone. Two days ago, her mom announced that Leen was sick, posting a video of her little girl lying motionless in bed while gunshots and explosions can be heard in the background. Sometimes I feel so hopeless writing to all of you, especially now that Gaza has completely run out of food and water. Yet  when I start to feel like there’s nothing that I can do, I remember Leen. I think about how much I want her to live. It’s that simple: I just really want her to live. So I try to figure out how to do something, no matter how small, every day. 

Today, I’m not going to ask you to sign a petition or write to your elected officials, who have committed themselves to never listening to us. I’m going to ask you to do a little more than that – because I can’t stop thinking about Leen. 

We are in the middle of a 30-day challenge for Gaza, which gives you thirty simple ways to change people’s minds and challenge the institutions that support this genocide. We can’t give up on this just because we feel hopeless. Join our 30 days of action for Palestine.

There are 2.1 million people fighting to survive in Gaza – and that alone gives us 2.1 million reasons to not lose hope. In isolation, individual acts can feel minuscule, but they’re a million times better than doing nothing. Today, on day #17 of our 30-day challenge for Palestine, we are encouraging everyone to thank a Palestinian journalist. 

We mark 100 days since Donald Trump took office today – and despite all the horrors his administration has caused, there’s actually been an encouraging development. A poll came out that said over 70% of democrats in the US don’t support sending weapons to Israel anymore. That is a radically different outcome than two years ago. Even if we can’t change Trump’s mind, or even the minds of Democrats in Congress, we are changing the minds of the masses. Our small, everyday actions are actually shifting the world one person at a time. 

The groundbreaking poll puts Trump’s first 100 days into an important context. There is growing popularity for the movement for Palestine and, every day, fewer and fewer Americans support Israel. Trump has enabled war crimes in Gaza, intensified deadly airstrikes in Yemen, unleashed ICE on immigrant families, and declared open war on the people brave enough to protest him. Most Democrats are talking about strongly worded letters – or not saying anything at all. Instead of representing its people, the US government is repressing those who call it out. This political system can’t stand for long.

Sign up to join the 30 days of action to find new ways to engage every single day. 

Trump’s first 100 days were cruel, with only more cruelty on the horizon, as his goons in Congress propose massive cuts to Medicaid and Social Security – services that so many Americans rely on to survive in this brutal economy. While public opinion rapidly turns against what the government is doing, especially when it comes to Israel, the politicians who are supposed to oppose Trump sit back and do nothing. Not only are they failing to do their job, they’re also refusing to listen to the very people who voted for them.

Trump’s first 100 days have demonstrated his brutality, and the failure of the Democrats to protect the people from it. In turn, these 100 days have highlighted the need for a powerful, creative, and fearless people’s movement that demands dignity for all across borders. On the darkest days, when I’ve felt the most hopeless, I zoom out. Individual days will often feel like losses, but, throughout history, the world has never stood up for Palestinians like we are now. That alone is a win. Israel has lost the hearts of the people. When I have nothing else to hold on to, I watch videos of Leen making her parents something for dinner. I remember that I live in the country allowing her suffering – and feeling hopeless just isn’t good enough. I do what I can, and you can too.

It's important for all of us to find inspiration day to day. Something I've been inspired by this week is our brave Medea Benjamin facing off with the Israeli National Security Minister Ben-Gvir. Check out the video!

Until Liberation,
Danaka and the entire CODEPINK team

P.S. I've found it really useful to share human stories from Gaza with close friends or relatives that haven't spoken out yet. Leen's videos touch the heart. 

P.P.S. Order our new "I Love Palestinian Liberation" Tee & make sure to get your pink keffiyehs from the West Bank!