From Linda Sarsour:
I am in awe of Palestinians. I am in awe of myself. In true disbelief. We get up every day in a world that does not want us to exist and witnesses the decimation of our people. Every single hour, we watch the livestreamed genocide of our people. With the backdrop of mass slaughter of those we come from, those we love - we work, we do laundry, we pay bills, we take care of children and parents. We are expected to be normal.
I did not know the capacity of my body. To hold so much pain, and trauma, to hold endless rivers of tears and through them I get up to fight for my people and also do the basic duties of a normal person's life. I have to witness bloodshed and organize and strategize and travel and train and convene and write grants and reports and then be responsible for other people's livelihood.
This is not normal. It is not natural. And so I am in awe - I look at myself in the mirror and I have aged at least 20 years in the last 19 months and I tell myself none of this is normal and I am not normal, I am Palestinian. Palestinians have to be extraordinary to exist in this world. Our people have demonstrated a type of resilience that is unexplainable. Our people have survived one of the world's most powerful armies, precision weaponry, two-thousand pound bombs on the daily, tanks and more. And they still forge forward with a vision and purpose for freedom.
So when you see your Palestinian friends, neighbors, colleagues - we are not normal. We are extraordinary - hurt, broken, disappointed, enraged - yet still extraordinary.
Our people will prevail. Freedom and justice will prevail. I have to believe that just to face the world every day.
