Both here and abroad, people of color struggle to protect their communities from violence, displacement, and systematic dismantling. Listen to activists from Chicago and Palestine share their experiences with working against forces threatening to undermine their communities. From this program, we hope to learn from each other’s movements and gain strength in our common struggles for justice and liberation.

ABOUT THE PANELISTS:

Abir Kopty is a feminist and political activist based in Ramallah. Abir is well known for being a key organizer of the Bab al-Shams protest village that garnered significant international attention earlier this year, a culminating moment of the weekly protests across the West Bank and East Jerusalem. She is a former Nazareth City Councilwoman and today works as a media analyst and consultant. She also blogs at http://abirkopty.wordpress.com/.

Aisha Truss-Miller works with Affinity Community Services, a social justice organization that works with and on behalf of Black LGBTQ communities and allies. Aisha has focused on youth leadership and development, as well as building connections between intersecting movements in Chicago. Aisha attended an African heritage delegation to Palestine in 2012.

Alaa Mukahhal is a Kuwaiti born Palestinian raised on Chicago’s southside. Alaa came to the United Stated at the age of 6 with her family in 1993 from Jordan. Alaa and her family became undocumented after their tourist visa expired. Alaa applied for asylum in April of 2011, was referred to an immigration judge and was placed in deportation proceedings. Alaa has organized closely with undocumented and immigrant youth and is a graphic designer in Chicago. She currently works as the citizenship project manager for the National Partnership for New Americans.

Veronica Morris Moore is an organizer with Fearless Leading by the Youth (FLY), a Woodlawn based youth organization fighting to make the lives of people in their community better. She has been a fierce leader in the struggle to raise awareness about the lack and necessities of trauma centers on the south side of the city. As a member of the community, Veronica tirelessly supports issues such as restorative justice, housing rights, school closings and more.

More about this event here.