“The Nakba is not a memory; it is a continuous uprooting” – Mahmoud Darwish

A big thank you for joining us at The Promise of Return العودة ! It was an evening filled with beauty, intentionality, grief, and so much heart. We came together in solidarity and sumud to commemorate 77 years of the Nakba, and heard from ten Palestinian storytellers, writers, poets, youth, artists, teachers and community members as they generously shared their lives, their struggle for liberation, and dreams of return. We all cried and laughed as we held onto every word shared so generously – leaving us all more connected, more inspired, and more committed to the struggle.

Here are four short videos from the evening:

The first video features Palestinian artist Rawan, Palestinian writer Jeeda, and Palestinian poet Sara. As Rawan says, “We Palestinians are not defined by the occupation. We existed well before the occupation, we exist now during the occupation, and we will continue to exist as the occupation crumbles and ceases to be. And we will exist within a rebuilt Palestine.“


“We carry Palestine with us.. To all my fellow Palestians, in Palestine, in the refugee camps, in the diaspora – we will be united soon, I promise you.” – Reema, Palestinian youth. The second video features Palestinian youth Reema, Palestinian artist & song writer Sobhi and Palestinian community organizer Omar.

“We are living in a continuous Nakba of destruction, of silence, of being told that our lives don’t matter. That is why I am here to say: we will not be silenced, we will fight for liberation, for justice, for return.” – Ghazal, Palestinian teenager. This video features Palestinian youth Ghazal, Palestinian artist Rawan and (not named) Palestinian community member sharing profound and powerful words on the Nakba, memory, return and Palestinian futurism.

In the final video, Jeeda shares about growing up in the first Intifada and the imprisonment of her teenager brother in zionist prison dungeons for throwing stones at the IOF. And Omar closes with a reminder that “Our case is not to keep bargaining to have more land or less refugees. Our case is a liberation case. And the liberation will be from the river to the sea, inshallah”

Together, we also raised over $11,000 for Sameer Project in Gaza and Gaza Soup Kitchen, with all funds going to food, water and direct relief efforts in Gaza amidst forced starvation, siege and genocide.

Even if liberation seems distant in this time of monsters, the sumud of the Palestinian people, the sacrifices of the Palestinian resistance, and the efforts of the global anti-imperialist movement are never in vain. There is a world where Gaza is rebuilt, where its orchards and groves bear fruit, where every prisoner is liberated from zionist cages, where we can visit and pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque, where the old and the young sit by the sea under open skies. Palestine will be free and every Palestinian will Return العودة.

“Enough for me to die on her earth
be buried in her
to melt and vanish into her soil
then sprout forth as a flower
played with by a child from my country.

Enough for me to remain
in my country’s embrace
to be in her close as a handful of dust
a sprig of grass
a flower.”

– Fadwa Tuqan translated by Naomi Shihad Nye with Salma Khadra Jayyusi