no snow here

palestinians conference in a couple weeks

nosnowhere — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:54:28 +0000

who’s going? hollerrr!!!! i need somewhere to stay.

the deadline for early registration has been extended until friday…..

Join the

National Popular Conference for Palestinians in the U.S.

Reclaiming our Voice, Asserting our Narrative

August 8-10, 2008 in Chicago

www.palestineconference.org

Who?

Any and all Palestinians in the U.S. - No political or organizational affiliation is required or promoted; Palestinians of all ages and backgrounds are welcome!

What?

The first all-inclusive National Conference of Palestinians in the U.S. It includes speakers from around the world, dozens of workshops from hip-hop to community organizing, town-hall discussions, and cultural events from dabka to painting. Come embrace our heritage! We are not terrorists. We deserve our voice and our rights!

Why?

To preserve and nurture our ancient culture, empower and unify our community, and coordinate activist efforts across the country. Come meet new people. Come learn about our shared history. Come feel the spirit and the magic of soaring wing-to-wing with fellow Palestinians!

When?

Friday, August 8^th at 7:00 PM –

Sunday, August 10^th at 3:00 PM

Where?

The Wyndham O’Hare Hotel

6810 Mannheim Rd.

Rosemont, IL 60018

Register Now!

Register online at www.palestineconferce.org, or call the Palestine Office at (313) 945-9660. Time is running out, so act quickly!

Whole Families Welcome, with low registration fees for children, babysitting all day, and workshops specifically for kids.

Discounted Registration for Students

Transportation Coordination underway from Detroit and Ann Arbor – please call (313) 945 9660 and check megabus.com.

More Information – see below, and visit www.palestineconferece.org, or call 1-888-48 NAKBA

Total cost breakdown 1 Student 1 Adult 2 Adults 1 Child

Registration (incl. 5 meals) 60 120 200 30

Hotel (4 to a room, 2 nights) 50 50 50 50

Transportation (round trip Megabus) 60 60 120 60

Total estimated cost 170 230 370 140

If you are excited and really want to come but are still having financial difficulty, please call the Palestine Office in Dearborn at (313) 945-9660. We may be able to help a limited number of people with the cost, and can put together groups to share rooms.

CONFERENCE PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Continuous Exhibits

Quilt display and making: a room dedicated to the display of quilts made by Palestinians made in the U.S. Materials made available so that participants can make their own patches to constitute a new quilt!

Oral History narration & recording: a room dedicated to screening oral histories of Palestinians. Another station will be available where new oral histories are recorded by conference participants.

Snapshots of our community power!: a photo exhibit displaying achievements of our community on behalf of Palestinian human rights from around the country.

Speakers

Archbishop Dr. Theodosius Atallah Hanna (via satellite)

Ambassador Dr. Clovis Maksoud

Ra’ad Salah (via satellite)

Poet Tamim Barghouti

Dr. Mustafa Barghouti

Dr. Rabab Abdel Hadi

Ms. Rafeef Ziadah

Plenary and Popular Assembly

Plenary I: Undermining the Right of Return, Targeting Palestinian Refugees: The Case of Palestinian American Political Prisoners. What can the Palestinian Arab community in the US do to support prisoners and their families, and to overcome fear-induced paralysis? Featuring the family of Dr. Sami Al-Arian, members of the LA 8, and friends and families of Mr. Muhammad Salah and Dr. Abdelhaleem Ashqar

Plenary II: Placing the Right of Return at the forefront of Palestinian, Arab, Muslim and solidarity agendas in the U.S.; Intensifying US-based Efforts and Coordination towards Realizing the Refugees’ Return: Featuring Congressional, Refugee-support, Legal, Grassroots, and Academic angles.

What comes after the conference? Popular Assembly: The Future of the Palestinian National Body, and the role of Palestinian Refugees and Exiles in the US in the Struggle for Self-Determination and Return.

Cultural Events

Banquet with Dabkeh, Poetry Reading, Hip Hop by Palestinian American youth, and Children’s Performances.

Art Exhibit and Auction by Ibrahim Shalaby

Workshops

Presented in three sessions Saturday, listed here with preliminary titles.
1.        Break the Siege on Gaza,  Discussion on situation in Gaza with a live video feed from boat attempting to break the siege, Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh 
2.        Palestinian Citizens of Israel, Discussion on the exclusion of Palestinian citizens from the discussion of the Palestinian Diaspora, Bashir Idillbi 
3.        Handala and Naji Al-Ali, Khaled Meshal 
4.        Evaluating the State of Palestinian Activism: Past, Present, Future, Palestinian American Congress-Connecticut & Lama Nasser 
5.        Nakba and Building Support for Palestinian Refugees, Dr. Jamil Fayez and Reem Alnuweiri on behalf of Takaful 
6.        Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions, and Mainstream Churches in the U.S, Grace Said & Phillip Farah 
7.        General Union of Palestinian Students/Palestinia n Youth Network, Organizing Palestinian students across university campuses, Loubna Qatami 
8.        Engaging our elected officials, the Presidential Campaign 2008 and Beyond, Reema Dodin, Congressional Staffer on the Senate and Maher Bitar, American Association for Palestinian Equal Rights   
9.        Self-Organizing and Community Politics: Evaluating what divides us and moving forward in unison, Layla Kristy Feghali and Gihad Ali 
10.     The Gift of the Arabic Language, Hala Tibi 
11.     Dabkeh 101: How to Dance, Rasmiya Masoud 
12.     Hip Hop and Spoken Word: Using art to spread our message, William Youmans aka Iron Sheik, Nizar Wattad aka Ragtop, Tarik Kazaleh aka Excentrik, and Remi Kanazi 
13.     Tatreez & Zajal: Preserving our Cultural Heritage, [hands on workshop!], Nehad Khader 
14.     Meet the Fimmakers and learn how to make your own, Jackie Salloum, Nasri Zacharie, and Bassam Haddad 
15.     Building campaigns to support Palestinian activists and academics, Dr. Hatem Bazian 
16.     Media 101: Breaking into the mainstream, Lubna Takruri 
Children’s Workshops
17.     Live feed with Children in Balata Refugee Camp 
18.     Arab-Black-Native American relations 
19.     Mapping out Palestine, Interactive game to develop skills on speaking about our struggle
Solidarity Workshop
20.     How to be in solidarity with the Palestinian movement for self-determination responsibly? 
Arabic-Speaking Workshop
21.     Evaluating our efforts and finding new ways of collaboration to move forward 
REGISTERING FOR THE CONFERENCE

www.palestineconference.org - $120 adults ($200 for two); $60 students; $30 children under 12

Registration fees include 5 meals - Friday Dinner, Saturday Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner and Sunday Brunch.

Registration fees do not include hotel stay. You can call the hotel directly at (847)-297-1234 to reserve your room(s). Don’t forget to mention USPCN to get the special rate of $89 a night, plus tax. Make your hotel reservations early since the rate will expire.

Register early to take advantage of the early registration discount; fees will increase.

Help subsidize a student’s registration - $60; keep student registration discounted.

Contact conference@palestineconference.org or (88 48 NAKBA with any questions about registration or

Palestine Office at Palestine1948@sbcglobal.net or 313-610-6242

nosnowhere — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:36:13 +0000

phyrecracker:

Born and raised in the diaspora often means that you mediate the world through two languages that are in some way foreign to you. In this context nothing is real. Or, by contrast, everything is real. Our experience in this linguistic purgatory challenges the existence of constancy and objective meaning.

So as diaspora kids we are inherently threatening. We are too fluid. We transcend borders. We never asked permission. We appreciate the luxury of the so-called “first world” because part of us resides in our homeland with the people, with the sadness, with the knowledge of people who died before their time. Our bodies are in some small part composed of all of this. Our appreciation of our world, especially when manifest as a fierce love of justice, is subversive with the latent potential for revolution.

nosnowhere — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 02:37:29 +0000

lost

lsot

lost

lsot

slt

lost

lsot

lsto

slto

lsto

slto

;spt

l;spt

lost

lsot

lost

gone

got my mind made up got my mind made up

nosnowhere — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 17:22:27 +0000

[santogold, i'm a lady]

nosnowhere — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:23:21 +0000

yesterday, at the request of an elderly lady in the neighborhood we’re in, myself and a bunch of detroit high school students filled in a pothole in an alley with buckets and buckets full of weeds we had pulled out of the playground. an elderly lady in the neighborhood we’re working in asked us to do this. it was SO satisfying to fill in a pothole for once instead of just complaining about them or smashing into them all the time.

nosnowhere — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 02:03:47 +0000

All I think about is writing, all the things I want to say. I am obsessed but get so paralyzed when I start stretching my fingertips towards the keyboard. The backlight on the laptop keyboard flickers between on and off, unsure like me.

How would you answer these questions?

nosnowhere — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 01:37:53 +0000

from a seminar at wayne state on detroit leadership development:

- - We are experiencing an economic downturn locally – please discuss the current climate for young leaders and entrepreneurs. Are there more opportunities than challenges?

- - What support systems are out there? What is needed?

- - Please give your vision of the Detroit area as you see it 20 years out – in 2028.

- - What is the most significant positive development in our region that will impact the area in the next 20 years?

- - What is the most critical challenge to realizing your vision?
  - Racial polarization and segregation – how have they impeded progress in the metro Detroit region? Are we moving forward on this issue?

- - Regional public transportation – has the time finally come for a real mass transit system in metro Detroit?

- - Our manufacturing economy has created a situation where post-secondary education is not valued in our city, region or state – how do we change that and what will the future hold for our children? How and when will we move to that knowledge based economy of the future?

nosnowhere — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:10:05 +0000

all power to you. you will definitely touch that ground. and not as a visitor intimidated by paramilitary customs officials who reject your presence, but as a child of the land who will be welcomed to it with open arms. time is on your side, be patient. great things are coming.

shira hassan

nosnowhere — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 04:04:58 +0000

from clamor:

NL: Do you believe that locating struggles in the body is an effective way of uniting people into a larger movement?

SH: Yes. Unfortunately, what I most often witness is people’s trauma around their bodies getting in the way of uniting. As queers, as fat people, as people with disabilities, as people of color, we have often located so much of our pain in our bodies. We internalize so much anger, we get sick from it and throw up walls and make divisions. I get inspired when I see the connections made on an individual level. But on a larger scale I don’t really see it happening yet.

I think there are two main obstacles: 1) Most of us spend a lot of time outside of our bodies. I’m not sure how many people are willing to get into their bodies in the way it would require in order for this kind of movement to build. Phat Camp was an amazing place to witness people going through this. They come in with their brains in a tizzy, wondering “What is empowerment? What is self-acceptance?” and then they realize we don’t want their brains to do the work—we want to go to a deeper place. A place where all of our bodies are unified in the struggle to be whole and real.

2) People who don’t have to think about their power usually don’t. Sometimes I wonder if we can really build anything effectively without figuring out how to cross over and get people to examine their privilege. There is so much mythology about health and wellness, that it’s hard for me to picture having a deep moment with someone who more than anything believes I just need to lose weight. Even if we agree that the prison system needs to end and Bush is a motherfucker.

I see the goal of all work like this to be community building, healing, and revolution. In that order.

LF: Part of what I appreciate so much about this roundtable is being able to listen to and learn from activists who have taken this approach. Some people like to argue for unity on the basis that we all have the same experience—for me that just plants landmines that are going to blow up later. In my activism and my travels, I’ve been able to work with so many different types of people, which teaches me to appreciate our differences and recognize the burdens that people are forced to carry. This helps me learn about what it is to be a human being and break out of the isolation that’s been imposed on me as a transperson. GF: I taught a group of young girls of color last weekend, ages 9 to 12. They’re African-American and Latina. At least one of them had starved herself from the age of nine. We talked about how they wanted to create new magazines and images of beauty. I asked them how this conversation related to self-defense and violence-prevention. One girl said, “You have to know your life is worth something before you can fight to save it.” Others talked about their belief that one can’t work for justice in any community without starting from a place of self-love, or at least working toward that.

Shira talked about the challenge of people being wounded and in pain. Open acknowledgment of those wounds and the survivorship skills associated with them can help individuals to heal, and can be something that brings communities and movements together. We have to be aware, though, of the danger of only identifying through our pain—it can easily be diverted into an investment in a hierarchy of oppression.

nosnowhere — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 03:55:15 +0000

i want to write something here but i don’t know what it is. i want to reflect on the AMC but there is too much! i actually don’t feel like i really experienced it! then immedietly after the AMC i went into adele’s recording studio with the women of SPEAK and we recorded a CD of poetry, stories and blog posts. this will be a long term fundraising project for us and u know u want to support it, will let you know when and where you can get that later.

probably one of the best part of the AMC was seeing youth that i know from my job working on projects (from beat-making to zine-making) and getting inspired. also awesome was meeting a local woman interested in working on black-arab coaltion building and organizing with queer arab sisters =)

it’s hard for me to believe that just one short year ago my life was totally different … and my experience at the AMC last year is a big part of what prompted that change, meeting those amazing women and realizing i wanted something different. it made me think back on the past year a lot. it was a real hard year with months of unemployment, depression, staying in pajamas all day and just floating directionless; pulling my life back together has been wonderful, fulfilling but exhausting and i wonder when i get a chance to stand still and reorient myself. i feel like i haven’t even been able to talk about everything that has happened (but maybe if u asked my BFFs they would have a different story about how i made them listen to me cry about relationship drama and bad feelings for months and months, lol). i couldn’t even write for a long time, in the way that i have been wanting to. i read cherie moraga’s “loving in the war years” a few weeks ago and it totally changed me; let me know not to be so afraid of what i’m going to say.

i guess what i’ve been thinking a lot about lately is healing. swinging slowly on her porch swing three weeks ago, a sis tells me, “something really bad happened to me last year so i took some time to heal.” so simple. think of all the really bad things that have happened to you: when did you give yourself time to heal? what does healing look like for me? most things i have been told about healing by psychiatric professionals and therapists has turned out to be bullshit! what does healing look like for me? for us? thinking about ways we heal ourselves that give birth to new possibilities for all of us — what does this fantasy look like when we live it?