It's Our Duty to Defend Black Life
This rebellion is rooted in love.
To protest for Black life, to demand dignity, to cry out for justice, is love.
Today, rebellions out of love are happening throughout this nation, an empire built on the backs of Black people who were kidnapped from their homelands and subjected to violent repression for over 400 years. We stand in full support of this Black uprising. We remain fully committed to Black liberation and defending Black life across the globe and within our own communities.
There is a long legacy of Black-Palestinian solidarity and a radical understanding that the Black liberation struggle is an anti-colonial fight that is transnational and connected to the struggles of oppressed peoples across the globe. As we recognize the connections between the Palestinian and Black struggles, we must also recognize that there are historical and contextual differences between our struggles. Now is not the time for drawing parallels that flatten Black history, minimizing police brutality in the U.S. to a product of training in Israel, or redirecting attention away from Black trauma to Israeli state violence. It is our duty to center the demands and voices of Black communities in the US who have been resisting systematic oppression and white supremacy over four centuries.
Engaging in joint struggle and transnational solidarity is part of the legacy of Palestinian resistance. We will continue that legacy today by uplifting Black liberation struggles and looking inward to make our homes and communities a stronger base for joint struggle. We can’t be afraid or defensive about engaging internally within our community about anti-Black racism, state violence, and policing in the U.S..
We are asking you all to amplify the demands and call to action of Movement 4 Black Lives, a network of Black freedom fighters who are calling on city and state governments to Defund Police departments and redirect that money to emergency response programs that don’t kill Black people.
We are asking you to donate to Black-led organizations who are putting in the work to tackle racist systems at the root. There are local Minneapolis organizations where George Floyd was murdered such as Black Visions Collective and Reclaim the Block. Other organizations who are doing crucial work within their communities are Dream Defenders, BYP-100, Assata’s Daughters, and Law For Black Lives.
For Palestinian and Arab communities, there are great resources on how you can speak with your families about anti-Black racism, policing, and criminality. The Arab Resource Organizing Center (AROC) released an excellent resource on “Alternatives to policing in Arab/Muslim communities”. This Thursday, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is hosting a conversation featuring our good friends Ajamu Amiri Dillahunt, Noura Erakat, and Ahmad Abuznaid about Palestinian solidarity with Black communities.
The rebellion will continue until there is justice. Justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, Sean Reed, Sandra Bland, and the millions of Black people who have been subjected to systemic racism and police violence in the U.S. for over 400 years.
What does justice look like? A world in which Black people no longer have to fear for their lives and where Black communities thrive. All our knowledge, critique, and resistance to Israeli state violence can help us grab at the root of structural racism in the United States to weed it out permanently. We understand that all racism and oppression, including white supremacy and Zionism, are underpinned by anti-Blackness. It is our duty to resist. We encourage you to find ways to be a part of this rebellion of love for Black life.
With Love & Solidarity,
Adalah Justice Project Team
