The People’s Conference for Palestine
By Noor Khalil
Attending the Peoples Conference for Palestine in Michigan was a profound experience that I got to have this quarter, filled with hope and despair. This essay captures the emotional turmoil of advocating for a free Palestine while witnessing ongoing atrocities.
After spending a week at the Peoples conference for Palestine. Seeing thousands of people coming together from around the globe and attending this conference was great. It was great until during one of the largest panels, the big screen above the main stage displayed a message “EMERGENCY. RAFAH IS BEING BOMBED NOW.” Seeing that message displayed largely in a room filled with thousands made me feel so upset. We all came together, put our lives on pause, left our families, our school, our jobs, to make a change but no matter how much we do, they continue to murder innocent lives. I looked around the room and was so happy to see all these people standing with Palestine, but to be actively advocating for change, and seeing beheaded children on your screen at the same time felt so hopeless. Talking about a free Palestine while watching those activities burn alive through my screen felt so surreal. Change will come. A free Palestine will come. I'm not sure when, but I know that death is not the end. All the martyrs are in a better place, with freedom, care, and love from God.