atrocities around the world.
This is truly a blessing and a responsibility. Because I am a
Palestinian, I am empathetic to the suffering of others, whether it
is a bad day or a catastrophe. Because I am an American, I believe
I can change the world; I have the tools and the initiative to do
so.
I would tell Wendy about my family: My
father, Mazen, is a tireless pediatrician dedicated to his patients
and students. My mother, Nedal, is a medical anthropologist who
works at the VA researching ways to improve the health of veterans.
My younger brother, Yousef, is a junior biochemistry major who
spends his spare time teaching elementary school students science
and volunteering at a hospital. My youngest brother, Amr, is a
freshman in high school who makes straight A’s, plays sports, and
feeds the neighbor’s dog when they go out of town. Our family gives
back to the community, and you cannot separate our actions from our
culture. We are Palestinians. We are your neighbors.
I often imagine what it would have felt like
to be part of the Civil Rights Movement, the Women’s Rights
Movement, or the Anti-War (Vietnam) Movement. I like to think I
would have been out in the streets protesting. I would have been
open-minded and kind, treating all people with respect, regardless
of race, gender, or nationality. I would have made a
difference.
If you have ever reflected on American
social movements with nostalgia, I urge you to discover your role
in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict as an American. Research the
human rights violations, the checkpoints, the roadblocks, the
settlements, the wall, imprisonment, economic conditions, and
health disparities. Realize that we, Americans, are helping finance
these atrocities.
We are Americans armed with the United
States Constitution. This is our privilege, our right, and our
responsibility.
Use our freedom of speech to speak for those
whose voices are muffled.
Use our freedom of press to educate yourself
and others, to raise consciousness.
Use our freedom to assemble as creative
resistance, to create a community.
Use our freedom to petition the government
to right the wrongs of our past, present, and future.
This is our democracy. Our privilege. Our
right. Our responsibility.
I have been exposed to these injustices
because I am Palestinian.
However, I care because I am a human being.
Human rights are nonnegotiable.
* * *
One week ago, I was standing in front of the
Texas Capitol, protesting the recent Israeli attacks on Gaza that
left (at that point, the first day of attacks) 350 Palestinians
dead and 1,600 Palestinians injured. A curious observer approached
me, asking about the situation in Palestine and his role as an
American. Toward the end of our conversation he said, “It’s not
like I know any Palestinians. It doesn’t seem real. Everything is
happening in that part of the world.”
In response, as I reached out to shake his
hand, I said, “My name is Rawan, and I am a Palestinian. Now, you
know me.”
With the same sincerity, I would like to
reach out to you. My email address is [email protected]. If you
want to meet a Palestinian, contact me.
Small Town Texas
_PHOTO
Shereen Naser is a Palestinian American born
in the suburbs of San Francisco, California. She went to high
school thirty minutes away from Austin, Texas, where she also
attended the University of Texas, receiving her BS in psychology in
May 2004. She is currently doing her graduate studies in school
psychology at Tulane University where she studies post-traumatic
stress disorder in children and adolescents. Shereen is the eldest
of eight children, an avid reader, and a very proud Bir Zeiti. It
is her greatest hope that she will see a free Palestine in her
lifetime, and her sincere desire is to be a part of that
process.
* * *
I went to high school in Leander, Texas,
where the political environment was that of a typical small
Southern town—conservative, homogenous,
This is truly a blessing and a responsibility. Because I am a
Palestinian, I am empathetic to the suffering of others, whether it
is a bad day or a catastrophe. Because I am an American, I believe
I can change the world; I have the tools and the initiative to do
so.
I would tell Wendy about my family: My
father, Mazen, is a tireless pediatrician dedicated to his patients
and students. My mother, Nedal, is a medical anthropologist who
works at the VA researching ways to improve the health of veterans.
My younger brother, Yousef, is a junior biochemistry major who
spends his spare time teaching elementary school students science
and volunteering at a hospital. My youngest brother, Amr, is a
freshman in high school who makes straight A’s, plays sports, and
feeds the neighbor’s dog when they go out of town. Our family gives
back to the community, and you cannot separate our actions from our
culture. We are Palestinians. We are your neighbors.
I often imagine what it would have felt like
to be part of the Civil Rights Movement, the Women’s Rights
Movement, or the Anti-War (Vietnam) Movement. I like to think I
would have been out in the streets protesting. I would have been
open-minded and kind, treating all people with respect, regardless
of race, gender, or nationality. I would have made a
difference.
If you have ever reflected on American
social movements with nostalgia, I urge you to discover your role
in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict as an American. Research the
human rights violations, the checkpoints, the roadblocks, the
settlements, the wall, imprisonment, economic conditions, and
health disparities. Realize that we, Americans, are helping finance
these atrocities.
We are Americans armed with the United
States Constitution. This is our privilege, our right, and our
responsibility.
Use our freedom of speech to speak for those
whose voices are muffled.
Use our freedom of press to educate yourself
and others, to raise consciousness.
Use our freedom to assemble as creative
resistance, to create a community.
Use our freedom to petition the government
to right the wrongs of our past, present, and future.
This is our democracy. Our privilege. Our
right. Our responsibility.
I have been exposed to these injustices
because I am Palestinian.
However, I care because I am a human being.
Human rights are nonnegotiable.
* * *
One week ago, I was standing in front of the
Texas Capitol, protesting the recent Israeli attacks on Gaza that
left (at that point, the first day of attacks) 350 Palestinians
dead and 1,600 Palestinians injured. A curious observer approached
me, asking about the situation in Palestine and his role as an
American. Toward the end of our conversation he said, “It’s not
like I know any Palestinians. It doesn’t seem real. Everything is
happening in that part of the world.”
In response, as I reached out to shake his
hand, I said, “My name is Rawan, and I am a Palestinian. Now, you
know me.”
With the same sincerity, I would like to
reach out to you. My email address is [email protected]. If you
want to meet a Palestinian, contact me.
Small Town Texas
_PHOTO
Shereen Naser is a Palestinian American born
in the suburbs of San Francisco, California. She went to high
school thirty minutes away from Austin, Texas, where she also
attended the University of Texas, receiving her BS in psychology in
May 2004. She is currently doing her graduate studies in school
psychology at Tulane University where she studies post-traumatic
stress disorder in children and adolescents. Shereen is the eldest
of eight children, an avid reader, and a very proud Bir Zeiti. It
is her greatest hope that she will see a free Palestine in her
lifetime, and her sincere desire is to be a part of that
process.
* * *
I went to high school in Leander, Texas,
where the political environment was that of a typical small
Southern town—conservative, homogenous,
Similar Books
