Today is the last day of the #Pages4PalestineReadthon. Thank you to @rocio_literaryplantitas and @ashlee_erinreads starting this effort and bringing attention to the @operationolivebranch fundraises. I will soon be donating to fellow #bookstagrammer @bookish.forlife, who is currently fundraising to leave Gaza along with her parents and siblings. As we’re wrapping up, I’d like to ask that we ponder on of my favorite quotes by Bryan Stevenson: People say all the time, “I don’t understand how people could have tolerated slavery, how could they have made peace with that? How could people have gone to a lynching and participated in that? How did people make sense of this segregation, this ‘white’ and ‘colored only’ drinking—that’s so crazy—I just—if I was living at that time, I would have never tolerated anything like that!” And the truth is, we are living at this time. And we are tolerating it. Stevenson was talking about the criminal legal system, but I think his basic point applies to other atrocities, including the ongoing g3n0cide in Gaza. There is a lot of silence on #Bookstagram, especially by readers and authors who usually write beautifully about the importance of reading diversly, celebrating own voices, and championing representation and I just have to ask: Why? What are you afraid of? If you’ve spoken up for #BlackLivesMatter or #TransRights or other against other types of oppression, but you aren’t speaking up for Palestine, why not? Why is this the atrocity you’re willing to tolerate? I ask these questions not to shame people, but because I truly don’t understand how, after 200 days, there is still silence. I know it can be scary to speak up and it can feel overwhelming, but your voice matters. And we need every voice we can get right now. If you’re unsure of how to begin, start by reading more Palestinian books and authors and championing those books on your page. Because even though the readathon is over, we should #ReadPalestine all year. #TheRitaReads #SouthAsianBookstagrammer #20BooksByAsianWomen #20BooksByAsianAuthors #ReadBIPOCBooks #ReadBIPOCAuthors #DecolonizeYourShelf #CeaseFireNow #ReadPalestinianAuthors #ReadPalestinianBooks
Beginning today through April 24th is the #Pages4PalestineReadthon hosted by @rocio_literaryplantitas and @ashlee_erinreads. The goal of the readathon is to read books by #PalestinianAuthors and about Palestine and, if you’re able, donate to families and individuals trying to escape Gaza. I will be participating by reading at least 1 book and donating to fellow #bookstagrammer @bookish.forlife, who is currently fundraising to leave Gaza along with her parents and siblings. If you’d like to participate, check out book recommendations from myself (slide 2) and others and @operationolivebranch’s spreadsheet of people trying to escape, links to their GoFundMes, and stories about who they are. Books Recommendations to Read During the Readathon (slide 2) * The Hundred Years of Palestine by Rashid Khalidi * Minor Detail by Adania Shibli * Evil Eye by @etafrum * Dear God. Dear Bones. Dear Yellow. By @noorkhindi Books I Plan to Read During the Readathon (slide 3) Definitely reading: Nayra and the Djinn by Iasmin Omar Ata Hoping to read: You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat and Behind you is the Sea by Susan Muaddi Darraj #TheRitaReads #Bookstagram #SouthAsianBookstagrammer #BookRecommendations #20BooksByAsianWomen #20BooksByAsianAuthors #ReadBIPOCBooks #ReadBIPOCAuthors #DecolonizeYourShelf #CeaseFireNow #ReadPalestinianAuthors #ReadPalestinianBooks #ReadPalestine