On the anniversary of the siege of Palestine, Palestinians worldwide forget to remember what is most important when marking this and every other past and future commemoration. They forget to fight for Palestine! They forget to fight the “right” fight.” They forget to raise their voices in unison advocating the noble cause for freedom through justice. They forget what it means to be One Palestinian People.

No one can undo “the Catastrophe” or “al Nakba” that befell the Palestinian people when an organized Jewish group called Zionists decided that they wanted a homeland for Jews to call their own—even if that homeland was already a vibrant and rooted homeland to a people of deep honor and respect. No amount of “spin” or denial will ever change what happened in 1948—the truth is the Palestinians were wronged.

The Palestinians of 1948 were a simple and yet principled people. They could not accept the Jewish people’s unfair method of forcefully taking their homes, freedom and prosperity through arrogance, violence and murder. They refused to be erased or ignored. Their will to persevere could not and would not be shaken, but, alas, today their honor and respect, the very virtues that defined them elude them. The outcome of constant beat down—both physically and mentally—by one of the most brutal and abusive occupations in modern times.

The Israeli occupation of Palestine has seen people displaced and living in refugee status—sometimes twice over.  Yet, they have and  continue to overcome obstacles placed in detriment to their survival. Forever waiting until justice prevails, they remain steadfast.

Israel’s occupation has and continues to kill people and destroy families.  It demolishes homes and creates destruction and despair under the guise of entitlement.  It is an occupation that choked the want-for-life out of otherwise viable young men and women who opted to kill themselves and other innocents espousi... [Read More]

By treating people of all nations and faiths with respect, the Obama administration will create an opportunity for world peace.  As an American of African heritage, Barack Obama steadfastly ascended on a journey to the White House offering hope and change for a better world in every promise and deed along the way.  The eyes of the world were on Washington, D.C. January 20, 2009 as he took the podium on that bitter cold day and told us, “Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and begin again the work of remaking America."  In less than two months, he is making good on his promises. Reactions from within and outside of the U.S. are already taking place.

On his second day in office, President Obama set the wheels in motion to close Guantanamo Bay prison camp, where suspected terrorists have been held for over five years without trial and tortured. He proved through his actions that he would not want that for American soldiers captured in hostile territories.  He broke with the former administration’s anti-terror policies by immediately retracting policies that supported torture and holding people without due process whether in Guantanamo or any secret CIA prison in the world.  He pledged to fight and win against terrorism “in a manner that is consistent with our values and our ideals.”  By valuing basic human rights for everyone no matter what the circumstance, our President represents an America that espouses respect for humanity.

The willingness to negotiate with adversaries like Iran, the new “love-to-hate” enemy, and other Middle Eastern or Muslim countries labeled “the enemy,” proves the Obama administration recognizes the importance of talking with our “enemies.” He broke with the traditions of previous administrations, which refused to talk and sometimes even acknowledge leaders from countries with grievances against the U.S. Obama’s approach is simple. If we are not to talk to the... [Read More]

Where is the outcry from the American media on being denied access into Gaza?  

Israel’s claim of safety for press is not warranted.  Safety from whom?  The real truth is that Israel has a record of targeting and killing reporters, peace activists and other independents that have been on-the-ground witnesses to human rights abuses.  Reporters leveraging themselves on the borders offer Israel a skewed pursuit of ending rocket fire by Hamas.  As American media complies with this Israeli decree, the death toll rises.  This will negatively reflect on America’s already dismal image placing troops serving in the Middle East in even more danger of being killed by extremists.

It... [Read More]