This was originally a newsletter sent on October 19, 2023.
Dear friends,
We reach out to you, our beloved community, heartbroken, grieving, and enraged. You are on our hearts. We are mourning all of the deaths in Israel and Gaza over the last weeks.
We envision a world where the planet and all who inhabit it experience love, dignity, and justice. This vision extends beyond the borders of the U.S. None of us are free until we all are free, and our collective liberation is only possible with our cooperative love and action.
The Israeli government’s attacks on Palestine are genocide, backed by the U.S. government and other Western imperial forces, and they must end. Palestinians have been living in apartheid and have experienced oppression, brutal violence, and forced relocation for the better part of a century. We believe in Palestinian freedom from settler colonialism, imperialism, and occupation. We support the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.
Think of Others
by Mahmoud Darwish
As you prepare your breakfast, think of others
(do not forget the pigeon’s food).
As you conduct your wars, think of others
(do not forget those who seek peace).
As you pay your water bill, think of others
(those who are nursed by clouds).
As you return home, to your home, think of others
(do not forget the people of the camps).
As you sleep and count the stars, think of others
(those who have nowhere to sleep).
As you liberate yourself in metaphor, think of others
(those who have lost the right to speak).
As you think of others far away, think of yourself
(say: “If only I were a candle in the dark”).
In this moment, we are called to take action for a free Palestine. And we are reminded of Grace Paley’s words: “The only recognizable feature of hope is action.”
In love and liberation,
The Change Elemental Team
Here are some groups and resources we are following. Please share others with us.