2014 African Heritage Delegation

Interfaith Peace-Builders' African Heritage Delegation Arrives in Israel/Palestine

 

October 27, 2014 - Interfaith Peace-Builders (IFPB) is pleased to announce that our 15 member African Heritage Delegation to Palestine/Israel arrived at Ben-Gurion airport Tuesday morning and is now safely in Jerusalem.

The delegation is an intensive educational experience and opportunity to learn about the current situation in Palestine/Israel.  This trip is the 52nd delegation to Palestine/Israel organized by IFPB since 2001, and the third African Heritage Delegation.

Interfaith Peace-Builders' African Heritage Delegation program seeks to connect US African American leaders, media-makers and organizers with communities of color in Palestine/Israel to identify common issues and forge relationships.

The delegation will travel in Israel/Palestine for two weeks and meet with members of Palestinian and Israeli civil society, human rights organizations, grassroots activists and others.  Specific meetings will also feature African Heritage communities in Israel/Palestine, Jews of color (Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews), Palestinian refugees, and others whose unique experiences will contribute to the educational and activist aim of the delegation. 

The program provides an intentional space for participants to examine questions of race and ethnicity within the context of Palestine/Israel.

Delegation participants come from a variety of backgrounds and movements - Civil Rights, Black Power, South African anti-apartheid and anti-racist organizing - a diversity that enables rich and multi-dimensional group learning.

By creating an opportunity to explore present or past connections between struggles that communities of color face in Palestine/Israel and the US, we hope to strengthen the work for global justice.

Photos from the 2014 African Heritage Delegation:

 

The delegation includes the following people:

Dele' Balogun - Portland, Oregon
Ajamu Baraka - Cali, Colombia
Jen Copeland - Decatur, Georgia
George Curry - Laurel, Maryland
Anthony Grimes - Denver, Colorado
Trina Jackson - Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts
Lucas Johnson (leader)- Atlanta, Georgia
Terese Jordan - Los Angeles, California
Kamilah Moore - Altadena, California
Rebecca Pierce - Portola Valley, California
Zarinah Shakir - Lawrenceville, New Jersey
Tyrone Simpson - Poughkeepsie, New York
Josette Souza - Belleville, Illinois
Ann Ragland and George Curry - Laurel, Maryland
James Ricks - Ithaca, New York

Although 15 delegates arrived in Jerusalem, an additional member of the delegation was denied entry at Ben Gurion Airport. The list of delegates above includes only those who were granted entry and are with the delegation currently.

Interfaith Peace-Builders believes in the power of eye-witness experience and transformation. Given the opportunity to speak directly with Israelis and Palestinians, delegates return to the United States better informed, more energized, and with a deeper understanding of the possibilities for true justice in the Middle East.

Upon their return to the United States, delegates will share their experiences with the public, the media, and their political representatives.

Media interested in interviewing the participants when they return, and groups wanting information about speaking engagements, should contact Interfaith Peace-Builders at media[a]ifpb.org or 415.240.4607.

 

  CLICK HERE TO Read reportS FROM THE GROUND