In light of the Gaza massacre yesterday, the 70th anniversary of the Nakba, the Great Return marches, and the ongoing Israeli apartheid regime and military occupation of Palestine, we are calling a #BecauseWeveRead 'Emergency Reading' to respond to the overwhelming request by our members to understand what is happening right now in occupied Palestine, and what can be done.

New to #BecauseWeveRead? Here are our intentions & goals!

EMERGENCY READING ON GAZA: 

BOYCOTT, DIVESTMENT, SANCTIONS, THE GLOBAL STRUGGLE FOR PALESTINIAN RIGHTS 

BY OMAR BARGHOUTI


Omar Barghouti is the co-founder of the Palestinian Civil Society's Boycott Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against apartheid Israel. This book lays out the foundation of this non-violent strategy as inspired by the BDS movement against the apartheid regime in South Africa as a concrete course of action for Palestinians and Palestine solidarity organizers to push toward Palestinian liberation.

This book is a vital read for anyone who wants to understand the current situation in Palestine and wants a road-map for how to support Palestinians in fighting for their freedom, beyond a retweet or hashtag.

BOOK: 


+ Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions: The Global Struggle for Palestinian Rights (2011), Omar Barghouti - Full PDF available here thanks to our friends at Haymarket Books! Available free online only until May 22nd!

ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:

+ "Black-Palestinian Solidarity in the Ferguson-Gaza Era" Kristian Davis Bailey, American Studies Association

+ Gaza in Context (film) - available here

+ The incredible Noura Erakat's brilliant interview on CBSN:



+ Baddawi (graphic novel), Leila Abdelraazaq

+ Before the Next Bomb Drops: Rising up from Brooklyn to Palestine (poetry), Remi Kanazi

+ Freedom is a Constant Struggle (collection of essays, interviews, etc), Angela Davis

+ Uncivil Rites: Palestine and the Limits of Academic Freedom, Steven Salaita
(70% off at Haymarket Books using this link)

+ Shell Shocked: On the Ground Under Israel's Gaza Assault, Mohammed Omer
(70% off at Haymarket Books using this link)

+ Apartheid Israel: The Politics of an Analogy, ed. Sean Jacobs & Jon Soske
(70% off at Haymarket Books using this link)


DISCUSSION GROUPS:

Because Emergency Readings are immediate responses to current affairs, most discussion group hosts may not be able to host a specific in-person discussion group for this topic in addition to the monthly discussion they are already hosting for the original book of the month (which for the month of May, can be found here). Instead, please join us on Instagram live for our discussion with everyone.


LIVE DISCUSSION:

Don't worry about finishing the book in time for the discussion -- just read as much as you can and you're welcome to learn and discuss with us!

DATE: Saturday, May 26th 
TIME: 11:00 AM CST
PLATFORM: Instagram live, @becauseweveread
DISCUSSANT: Leila Abdelrazaq
Leila is a Detroit-based Palestinian author and artist. Her debut graphic novel, Baddawi (Just World Books 2015) was shortlisted for the 2015 Palestine Book Awards and has been translated into three languages. She is also the author and Illustrator of The Opening (Tosh Fesh, 2017) as well as a number of zines and short comics. Her creative work primarily explores issues related to diaspora, refugees, history, memory, and borders. Leila has been involved in organizing in various capacities since 2011, and integrates art making into her organizing work. She is also the founder of Bigmouth Press & Comix




Happy reading, and looking forward to discussing with you soon! Be sure to tag us & hashtag #BecauseWeveRead to join the club & conversation!