#Black struggle

[girlactionfigure]

7 reasons why the Palestinian crisis & the Black struggle for freedom are absolutely nothing alike

The “parallels” between the Palestinian plight and that of African-Americans have been made for decades, and this has always been spurious. Sadly, the exercise continues and seems to be growing as anti-Israel sentiment including global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) inexplicably gain credibility.

1. UNRWA

Beginning operations on May 1, 1950, the United Nations Relief Works Agency for the Palestinian people is the only UN relief agency that exists exclusively for one group — the Palestinians. At the time of its founding, there were some 720,000 Palestinian refugees. Many of these people became refugees after refusing the offer to become Israeli citizens and choosing to await the great victory over the Jews promised to them by the leaders of the Arab states.

Black Americans from slavery to Jim Crow to the civil rights era never had anything that vaguely resembled UNRWA or any type of international relief agency. We were also unsuccessful at being declared refugees — which surely would have led to reparations for 400 years of forced servitude.

2. INTERNATIONAL AID

The Palestinian Authority (formerly the Palestinian Liberation Organization – PLO) receives about $1 billion annually. This money comes primarily from American and European taxpayers. The money is supposed to go to relieve the suffering of the Palestinian people which, as Dr. King said in 1968, “are part of that third world of hunger, of disease, of illiteracy.” Unfortunately, much of that aid goes to political and racial propaganda and programming, as Palestinian children are fed a constant diet of anti-Semitism and hatred for Israel. From curriculum to suicide bomber camps, Palestinian children are taught to hate Israel and the West — on our dime.

Black Americans received no international aid during centuries of slavery and Jim Crow segregation. Neither did we receive domestic aid.  The very term “forty acres and a mule” (what the US  government promised former Black slaves, but didn’t deliver) became code for, “what we never got.” Money to help fund our quest for freedom came almost exclusively from private donors including Black businesses and families, White abolitionists, churches, synagogues, and other Jewish organizations and individuals.

3. ARAB STATES (Arab League)

In the Middle Eastern region alone there are multiple Arab homelands including Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and oil-rich Saudi Arabia. They were the dominant force in the Middle East when Israel was reestablished in 1947-48, and used their combined military might to attempt to crush the nascent Jewish State. They failed. Now, not only will these states not take in the Palestinians who have been given official refugee status for three generations, these nations also have a horrible record of human rights abuses against their Arab-Palestinian brothers. They will not allow them to live as citizens, enroll in school, buy property, or even repair their dilapidated dwellings. Palestinian refugees are being killed in Syria while you read this.

Black Americans had no Black nations to which we could turn for help or shelter. While we were enslaved in America, our continent had been colonized by the Europeans. Further, all of North Africa is currently being occupied by Arabs, who stole it from our people. But that’s another list.

4. TERRORISM & TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS

Other than Nat Turner and a few rebellious slaves whom history has forgotten, Black victims of oppression never possessed the means to offer armed resistance to our oppressors during slavery. After slavery (and due to the legal right to purchase guns), Black Americans were able to arm themselves but had no access to rockets, rocket launchers, IEDs, or other explosives.

If Black Americans had been able to fight with weapons, you can be certain that blowing up our sons and daughters would not have been a strategic option. Ever. Under any circumstances.

5. PALESTINIAN ROCK THROWERS & INSTIGATORS

Pictures of Palestinians throwing rocks at, or dropping boulders on unsuspecting Jewish motorists are quite strange to informed Black Americans (my grandmother would have called those rock throwers ‘hoodlums’). During the civil rights struggles of the 1950s and 1960s our ‘weapon’ was non-violent resistance. This was by choice and by necessity, as we were vastly outnumbered and outgunned by the White majority. We could not imagine what would have happened to our young men had they stood at ambush on the roads of Montgomery, Alabama, or Jackson, Mississippi, and thrown rocks at White passers-by. We were lynched for simply breathing while Black.

6. UNHRC

The United Nations Human Rights Council has condemned Israel more than any other nation — combined. In fact, since 1975, over 40% of the UNHRC’s indictments have been against Israel. This imbalance is a result of the Arab states’ undue influence over the UNHRC, as they have worked in tandem with the enemies of the US to discredit and delegitimize the Jewish State. The UNHRC is a large part of the reason that even the casual follower of world events may view Israel in a negative light.

Not only did Black Americans ever have something like a League of Nations to condemn our enemies, the UNHRC further insults us by largely ignoring the suffering of African people in places like Sudan, Eritrea or Congo; or Egypt/Sinai where African slavery and organ harvesting is taking place. This disparity prompted former UN Secretary-General, Kofi Anan to comment, “Since the beginning of their work, [the UNHRC] has focused almost entirely on Israel and there are other crisis situations, like Sudan, where they have not been able to say a word.”

7. ARAB REPRESENTATION IN ISRAELI GOVERNMENT

Not only are there Arab members of the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) and the Supreme Court, some of the individuals are actively working to destroy the Jewish State. They are very vocal anti-Zionists, and their speech (as well as their legislative action) are all protected by Israeli law.

Black Americans did not become a part of the legislative system until after slavery during Reconstruction. We were exclusively Republican by default, as the Democrats were the party of slavery, Jim Crow, and the KKK. We never called for the destruction of America. We have a long, proud tradition of working within the American legal system to address violations of civil and human rights — for everyone. This process reached its zenith during the 1960s as Black leaders and lay people (led by Dr. King and other stalwarts) marched on Washington, D.C. demanding jobs, justice, and equal treatment under the Constitution. 400 years of hard work resulted in Black people helping to make America the greatest democracy on earth.

There are many more than seven reasons why the Black saga and the Palestinian plight should not be compared, but I believe sufficient point has been made.

Lastly, I do not spurn the Palestinian fight for self-determination.  Every fight for justice is a righteous struggle. I would just say that, what made the Black historic struggle effective was our remembering who our enemy was — and who it was not. In the interest of defending Palestinian human rights, one may want to start with the main perpetrators: The Palestinian Authority and Hamas. But again, that is the subject of another discussion.

[hussyknee]

I made a rather reactionary post about white trans activists co-opting Black women's slogans this morning. After reading some rebuttal points by UK's Black activists since then, I've learned a lot better about claiming ownership over political movements. Also my saying "only the queer community has identity politics" is...objectively a ridiculous stance lol. I'm always about not letting conversations be driven purely by reactivity to radfems and the right-wing, but sometimes I do fall in soup myself.

There's so many interesting discourses I want to share, but because they involve Black intra community politics, I'm worried that it might harm their dialogues by taking them outside Black spaces. Otoh, the neoliberal and USAmerican exceptionalist influence on post Civil-Rights Black activism is problem that gets in the way of global coalition-building, and it's particularly a trap for non-Black people who want to be good allies.

I highly recommend you follow Chardine Taylor Stone on Twitter. She's someone who follows the solidarity and socialist coalition-building models of older Black activists, pushing back against neoliberal identity politics and gate-keeping.

Leaving you with this:

[giyuulatte]

one thing i hate is being the only black person at a function and having to because of how uncomfortable i feel

[miss-ddarling]

05/14/2023 4:47AM

Vulnerability after Grief

I’m typing on my laptop, writing notes about different things relating to Spirituality. A topic and feeling I’ve been growing toward. I’m specifically learning more about the third eye and I had a weird thought while smoking my blunt. I always thought that the third eye opening was a specific weird experience. I felt like it would be a That's so Raven moment that would be startling. I also pictured it to be like a Ghost Whisper moment, where I suddenly can see spirits!

However, now that I'm older…

I feel like it’s more of an endless later where you learn more and more and unlearn things as well. Through education (learning) , mindfulness,meditation and opening your awareness. It sounds like a bunch of hippie babble yeah? Well, what I’m trying to say is I feel like I'm at a point in my life where I do feel closer to “peace.”

I am far away from peace when it comes to finances and struggling to have enough food or pay every bill and work just enough. However, mentally…I feel like I've been kicked down so much that there isn’t anything I couldn’t handle.

My dad suddenly passed away the day after I moved to another state to go to college, not be a burden to him anymore financially and so that I could find myself. Instead, I ended up in a relationship with someone who didn’t want a relationship and them living with me. Fights and fights because of misunderstandings, different mental awareness and age gap. I was a girl learning to become a woman in a world that already sees me as such.

I went from being a recently graduated college student moving out to go to another college to further education.. Daddy paying my phone bill and everything..To having life insurance and bills and debt I never knew existed.

You could say I was spoiled. Because I was. He even cleaned for me.

I spoke to my Dad every single day multiple times and the only other person I spoke to weekly was my boyfriend.

So, you can think of how the pressure of all this affected that boyfriend. In my opinion, he felt like he had to take care of me so he put up a front until he couldn’t anymore. Then, would occasionally find himself flirting with another woman online. A lot of men see that i’m mature but they can’t accept and love the flaws that come with me actually being young and neurodivergent.

I’ve survived multiple Suicide attempts, rapes, and child sex trafficking. When I thought it couldn’t get worse, it did.

Where I currently am, is a little over 2 years after my dads death, in my apt with my ex. I’m smoking and doing research about things i’m interested in again. I had to drop out of college the first semester because it was a few months after my dads death and I couldn’t even read a paragraph or type one.

It feels… amazing to be able to write again.

I want to share my life experiences with the world so that someone out there who went through something similar can see that, even if it does get worse…there’s still a way to find peace until it’s consistently great.

I’ll be 23 in a few weeks. I never thought I’d reach 18.

I don’t believe in a god anymore but I do believe that I can use this time on earth to heal other people through being vulnerable and sharing my experiences.

Tomorrow, I could become homeless. I would shrug because even if I was now facing starvation, and other issues relating to it, I would know that I’ve made it so far. I’ve been through so many things where I wanted to die and had to hurt myself to feel anything. I’m raising myself, have no parents and I’m broke in another state with family who’s hurt me more than helped. However, I am not what has happened to me or who has hurt me. I am always shedding the day prior and creating a new skin for what is to come.

I have came too far to back down from anything that wants to bring me down. Even if physically I am not well, mentally and spiritually I will be. I will still be kind. I will still fight my way until I die.

I will not let the dark take the most important thing from me, my mind.

This song is how I’ve started feeling since disconnecting from everything I believed I needed to be happy. To find self love, acceptance and happiness within myself. It’s a bumpy add ride with plenty flashbacks, but it’s still a way up.

If you want to hear part 2 on audio or read it, comment or like❤️

[dannymans66]

He spends half his surgeon salary in merchandise

Little continuation to this post, kind of

[kurt4-3y3]

I don't hate myself. I don't hate my skin or how I dress. I don't want to change myself.

I hate that white women are the standard. Don't deny it because they are. So many people would never date a black person.

[bethsvrse]

me, a writer, at 3am: WHAT? I CANT FIND THE SPECIFIC FANFIC THAT I MADE UP IN MY MIND WITH A WHOLE PLOT AND ORIGINAL CHARACTERS??? WHO DO THEY THINK THEY ARE??? DO THEY EXPECT ME TO WRITE THE STORY I THOUGHT UP OF???

[artistnik]

Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love and So Much More

Recently I finished Janet Mock’s memoir. I mostly read nonfiction. This was the most poetic nonfiction I’ve read, ever. For some reason, I found this to be a hard read, even though the author is very open. Mock writes about her childhood and journey to being true to herself with beautiful language. There were a lot of references she made to her childhood I could definitely relate to. Reading her…

[zoomvis]

sometimes I feel like gunna 🙄

[seventh-district]

Making Incorrect H:SR Quotes Until I Run Out of (hopefully) Original Ideas - Pt. 5 - I Finally Finished the 2.2 Main Quest Edition

[Pt. 1] [Pt. 2] [Pt. 3] [Pt. 4] [Pt. 6]

[maisy1111]

okay but can we talk about the struggle that is obsessing over a character that doesn’t have fanfics??? because i’m over here scrubbing the internet for any crumbs…

[ausetkmt]

Angela Davis on continuing to fight for change

The activist, professor and writer has spent more than five decades advocating against oppression, white supremacy and police violence. Five decades after she was tried and acquitted on conspiracy, kidnapping and murder charges, Angela Davis is advocating for the abolishment of prisons. She talks with correspondent Lilia Luciano about expanding the possibilities for social change.

[hussyknee]

Freedom for Sudan! 🇸🇩

Freedom for The Congo! 🇨🇩

Freedom for Armenia! 🇦🇲

From River To The Sea, Palestine Will Be Free! 🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸

[hmura-hmara]

“You were right. You were right about me. Tell your sister…you were right.”

[dellaray]

Some Reggie sketches.. trying to figure out what he looks like in my head is tougher than I thought it’d be, but I accept the challenge (no one challenged me)

[incorrectbatfamandfriends]

Dick: As your favorite sibling-

Tim: That’s Helena.

Dick: She’s a cousin at best. As you’re favorite legally related sibling-

Tim: That’s Cass.

Dick: As your favorite Brother-

Tim: That’s Duke.

Dick: As your favorite OLDER brother-

Tim: That’s Jason.

Dick: I never tried to kill you.

Tim: In this life no-