A Letter of Solidarity from the PapaLoDown Agency: Free Palestine
“From Palestine to the Philippines, End the US War Machine!” linoleum print on paper, 4” x 6”, (2022) by @diaspora_fostered_us (IG)
PapaLoDown Agency joins the global call for a CEASEFIRE NOW and a FREE PALESTINE.
As a public relations agency, we cannot turn away from 75+ year ongoing genocide in Occupied Palestine that is connected to oppression across the globe (past and present).
While the U.S. government and mainstream media continue to mislead the public about what is happening in Gaza — we must CHANGE THE NARRATIVE, and center the voices of the Palestinian people whose demands for an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian aid are loud and clear.
PapaLoDown’s mission is to amplify and document the stories of historically racialized and marginalized groups and to support organizations, creatives, and scholars who uplift the voices of and critically engage their communities to advance social justice issues.
We now call (as we always have) on our colleagues, clients, community leaders, entrepreneurs, marketing and PR professionals to critically engage, connect the dots of oppression, and stand in solidarity whenever it is needed. Today the call to action is a Free Palestine!
A 2020 painting by Heba Zagout, a Palestinian artist and educator. An Israeli airstrike on Gaza killed Zagout and two of her children on October 13, 2023.
“It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains.”
What can solidarity with Palestine and other oppressed communities look like today?
Issue a public solidarity statement. It is important that our solidarity is visible to our communities.
Use your platform to amplify voices of artists and or leaders in your community that have been or currently creating art that speaks to the moment.
Host accessible in-person or virtual educational workshops/teach-ins about colonization, U.S. imperialism, solidarity with other communities, etc. We must learn about our own histories first, and think critically about systems of oppression.
Remind your communities about their revolutionary histories and about international solidarity through recommended reading lists, music recommendations, and other learning resources. (e.g. Dr. Robyn Rodriguez has an online course available on Asian American activism and Filipino American history.)
Host healing and grieving events/workshops to hold space for the community to connect, heal and get stronger together.
Partner with existing organizations in your community who are in solidarity with Palestine to host direct actions such as marches and teach-ins.
Use your platform to amplify on-the-ground reporting and voices from Palestinians — the experts on Gaza and Palestinian issues are the Palestinians themselves.
Host accessible in-person or virtual events that encourage community members to call their representatives and demand an immediate ceasefire.
In critical community discussions, address how supporting Palestine is not synonymous with antisemitism, islamophobia, or racism.
Reference existing resources to learn more about Palestine’s 75+ years of struggle for liberation and to guide your actions such as:
We remember the martyrs and survivors of the Holocaust, Hiroshima, the Vietnam war, South Africa Apartheid, the Lumad struggle in Mindanao, and all Indigenous people around the world that have been colonized, and on and on it goes… What’s happening right now is URGENT as there have already been 10,000 Palestinians and counting in the span of ONE month, majority babies and children, bombed, starved, and dehumanized. How many more will be enough? How many more can we still save?
Everyone has a role in the revolution. We have a responsibility, and the privilege, to call out injustice whenever and wherever it shows up.
Isang Bagsak! ¡Juntos Somos Fuerte!
The PapaLoDown Agency
A tatreez embroidery dress belonging to late photographer Majd Arandas's late grandmother, Bahja (photo from Middle East Eye). Israeli bombing killed 29-year-old photographer Majd Aranda on November 1, 2023.