Open Mic: “STRIKE FOR THE RIGHTS OF THE PALESTINIANS IN GAZA -THEY ARE YOUR RIGHTS TOO”

by Mia Feroleto

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” Martin Luther King, Jr. Letter from Birmingham, Alabama jail, April 16, 1963.

Long before October 7th , 2023 the world has watched genocide committed on the Palestinian people by the State of Israel accomplished with the financial support of America. Since that date, we have seen the death of 15,000 Palestinians, 8,000 of them who are children, and the total destruction and annihilation of their homes, hospitals and communities. We can no longer stand by and allow this to continue.

The plight of the Palestinians is our shared plight and is happening all around the globe to a greater or lesser degree. We can no longer allow ourselves to be complicit in these atrocities for we already have blood on our hands for doing too little or nothing for far too long going back to the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890 when the United States stole their land from Indigenous People and committed genocide in the process, just as Israel is doing today.

Americans are being called to take action using the leverage and tools we have at our disposal. It is the 99% who provide the fuel for the privileged 1% and in the spirit of the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the general strikes held in India during the time of British rule, it is time for Americans of all races, creeds and colors to refuse to go to work or spend a single dollar for one day, one week, one month, one year if necessary.

It is time for Americans to be willing to risk something. Lip service will not do. Worrying about voting for the lesser of two evils will not do. We must blow open the two party duopoly and invite a new group of candidates through the third party system to get involved in politics. Change cannot happen unless we force it forward. The path is there and we have been provided the inspiration needed by Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr. Malcolm X, Fannie Lou Hammer and many, many others. Justice and morality are universal.

Supporting the military industrial complex instead of the needs of humanity will no longer be tolerated. In fact, as people, we want nothing to do with war and bloodshed. We want peace. We want a ceasefire in Gaza and for the Palestinians to be given their own land, their communities rebuilt, clean water, nutritious food, medical care and all the support they need to recover from this brutality.

During the 1930s and 40s the population of India was 350 million people, the same as in America today. 100,000 British controlled the population which is comparable to the combined total of political and corporate leaders in the United States. Without social media or the internet, the backs of the British were broken when Gandhi and his followers marched to the sea to make salt which was illegal under British law.

In 1950s Montgomery, Alabama, a young Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. using the teachings of Gandhi, organized the Montgomery Bus Boycott to demand the right for Blacks to sit at the front of the bus. After more than a year of boycotting city transportation and White businesses on Main Street, the buses in Montgomery were integrated. It is time for all of us to galvanize our energy and make a stand and simply say with all of our hearts, “NO MORE WAR! NO MORE GENOCIDE! NO MORE POVERTY! NOW!!!”

This information is the beginning of informing the public of our plans and will be updated as plans develop. We have less than six weeks to organize a national strike to end the current genocide in Gaza. Third party and Independent presidential candidates Dr. Jill Stein, Dr. Cornel West, Claudia de la Cruz have all been invited to participate in leadership rolls in this strike. Jill Stein has accepted and we are already mobilizing Pro-Palestinian groups around the country along with students, labor unions and everyday people like you and I.

“A small group of determined and like-minded people can change the course of history.” Mahatma Gandhi

On January 17th , 2024, two days after the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s birth, we are calling on everyone to stay home and not spend a single dollar on anything. Do not pay your bills. Be prepared. Have food in the house. Do not order a movie on Amazon. We will communicate our solidarity and will to protest through continual strikes and send our message loud and clear that we will no longer simply accept “business as usual.” We will begin 2024 empowered and ready.

Let America rise up from the historic coat of quick sand that encases all of us as a direct result of the actions of our government. Let us become the authentic role model we claim to be. The war machine is a cancer on our collective soul. It is time to remove it, once and for all.

For further information, please contact Mia Feroleto at mia.feroleto@gmail.com.

*Activate News is an online publication that tackles social justice, activism, and politics with a raw and unapologetic voice. The work here is not for the faint of heart, but it is always honest and thought-provoking. While Activate Media does not endorse all of the viewpoints expressed, we believe that it is important to provide a platform for diverse voices to be heard.