CALL TO ACTION ON GAZA - SOUL FIRE FARM

"The children are always ours, every single one of them, all over the globe; and I am beginning to suspect that whoever is incapable of recognizing this may be incapable of morality." ~James Baldwin

SXSW Boycott Updates:

So many of us are mortified, grieving, terrified, heartbroken, angry, and overwhelmed in the face of catastrophic violence, collective punishment, and war crimes in Palestine-Israel. 

Over 32,000 Palestinians and 1,130 Israelis have been killed since October 7, 2023. Over 10,000 Palestinians are detained and 245+ Israelis kidnapped. There are over 1.9 million internally displaced people in Gaza. Islamophobia, Anti-semitism, doxxing, hate crimes are impacting our loved ones for existing and for speaking. Civilians, especially children and women, are the most impacted. The body of the Earth is overwhelmed with the blood of her children and crying for the weapons to be still.

As a collective that centers nonviolence, abolition, demilitarization, and land sovereignty, we at Soul Fire Farm call for:

**An immediate ceasefire in Gaza

**An end to apartheid, occupation, and genocide in Palestine

**An end to Islamophobia, casteism, and dehumanization of Palestinian people

**An end to Anti-Semitism and the conflation of Jewish people with the Israeli state

**Freedom for all political prisoners and hostages

**Environmental justice in Gaza - clean water, food security, tree protection, and land justice

**A global commitment to using skillful, nuanced, informed, nonviolent means to solve our problems

Humanity’s way forward will be rooted in peace, compassion, and love not in military might, punishment, revenge, or violence. Each of us deserve safety and freedom. Each child deserves to grow up. We will stay rooted in our humanity and our values.  

There are no words or actions adequate for this moment. Here are some ways we have found to channel grief and rage into right-action.

  1. Donate to organizations providing humanitarian aid, including; Grassroots International - Palestine Medical Relief Society; ANERA, PCRF, WFP, DoctorsWithoutBorders, RESIST, and UNRWA.
  2. Contact your local government representative and ask that the U.S. call for a ceasefire immediately. Find out who your local representative is by entering your zip code HERE or use THIS FORM to to receive a phone call patching you through to your representative.
  3. Join a solidarity rally with Palestinian Youth Movement, Jewish Voices for Peace, If Not Now, or your local peace and justice organization.
  4. Join a peace pilgrimage or fast with the Nipponzon Myoji Buddhists. Our dear friend Jun San from the Grafton Peace Pagoda is consistently fasting and praying for an end to the violence.
  5. Grieve, together. Not one of us would want our children, siblings, or friends to be maimed, displaced, kidnapped, bombed, killed, or terrorized. Nor do we wish this on anyone else’s children or beloveds. It’s important to feel the pain and engage our compassionate hearts.
  6. Study, learn, and discuss. Be informed. A few suggested resources are listed below.

We are sharing a big, tearful hug with all of you who are grieving, scared, angry, hopeless, and still working for tikkun olam.

FURTHER LEARNING