Dallas, TX – On February 11, the National Alliance Against Racist and Policial Repression-Dallas and the Dallas Anti War Committee hosted a panel discussion at local bookstore, the Pan African Connection, titled “From Resistance to Victory! Palestinian & Black Liberation: A Panel on Overcoming Political Repression”.

Moderated by Justin Bent of NAARPR-Dallas and the Progressive Student Union at UT Arlington, the event brought together prominent activists to explore the interconnected struggles for liberation.

Panelists included Sara Tayiba, founding member of Florida’s Jax Community Action Committee and Jacksonville Palestinian Solidarity Network; Nidaa Lafi, Palestine Youth Movement organizer, one of the 13 who were arrested at the Joe Biden protest in Dallas on January 8; Laura Rodriguez, one of the Tampa 5 arrestees who were falsely charged during a campus protest and beat the charges, and Sydney Loving, NAARPR co-chair and former student activist who won campaigns such as private-prison divestment at her campus.

The panelists drew from their diverse experiences to share their perspectives on national liberation. They emphasized the crucial the role of organizations in supporting the Palestinian movement and highlighted the connections between the Black and Palestinian liberation movements.

Sydney Loving drew connection between the two movements, “Palestinians face apartheid like our brothers and sisters in South Africa not even 30 years ago,” and also urged the audience to recognize the fundamental inseparability between the Black and Palestinian liberation struggles: “the occupation of Palestine is a project by and for the same forces who are filling up our prisons with working poor and Black people, the same people who are profiting off our labor, stripping away our rights, the same people who want to keep Africa, Asia and Latin America on its knees.”

The event resonated with the audience of about 50 activists and community members, including Josh Rudd of DAWC, who commented, “It was helpful that the panelists rooted their discussion in the long history of solidarity between the movements for Black and Palestinian liberation. There is definitely a sense of revolutionary optimism that comes from seeing different community members and organizations come together with the common purpose of building a world completely free from the violence of imperialism.”

The entire panel discussion was live streamed and is available for viewing here.

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