White Saviourism and the Humanitarian Sector

Shades of Anger, June 3, 2024 post

AuthorAuthor

Rebecca Steckle & Farihah Mohammed
June 03, 2024

June 3, 2024

Good morning. You can take action today, for the Palestinian people, for liberation, and for justice.

LEARN. Read this article from Farihah Mohammed on LinkedIn called “Decolonising the Humanitarian Sector”.

Image description: Header from Farihah Mohammed’s article on LinkedIn, featuring a thumbnail image of Farihah and the title, which reads, “Decolonising the Humanitarian Sector.” Click image or link above to read article.

NOTICE. After reading this article, where does your mind go when you consider this in the context of advocacy for Palestine? If you’re white, what sorts of feelings come up when you hear the phrase “white saviourism”?

ACT. Support Palestinians (and all Global Majority/BIPOC folks) how they ask to be supported. We are looking for one volunteer to help support with amplifying and sharing a GoFundMe (GFM) campaign from my friend who is in the UK, but whose family remains in Gaza. The GFM campaign is set up but needs support to gain traction; please reply to this email if you can help. For other folks, please donate to one (or more) of these families if you’re financially resourced, and/or share with others.

SHARE. Right now, send this email to 5 people and ask them to donate and/or share these families’ campaigns.

ASK. What ways do you try and counteract white saviourism in your advocacy and action? Please reply to this email (or, if you are reading this online, leave a comment below) to let us know.*

In solidarity for Palestinian liberation,

Rebecca Steckle, on behalf of the Shades of Anger collective

*You can also continue the conversation with us in the Speaking Up Network, a private social media platform co-created by Animah Kosai, one of the leaders of Shades of Anger.

Shades of Anger was created by a global collective of women to raise awareness and inspire action to free Palestine. We chose the name of our collective to honor the poem, “Shades of Anger,” by Palestinian-Canadian poet Rafeef Ziadah. We also believe in liberation for Sudan, the Congo, Haiti, and all places where systems of oppression are causing immense suffering and crushing the life out humans. We are led by women of the Global Majority/BIPOC. Shades of Anger is for everyone who wants to act for liberation and you can learn more about it here.

Image description: An off-white background. In the centre of the image, in black text, the text reads, “Shades of Anger,” with a quote from Fatima Bernawi below that reads, “Palestinians do not know the meaning of the word impossible.” Below that, the text reads, “Why should we?” On the right is a photo with a sign that reads, “Amplify your voice”

Image: On the left side is an off-white background with text in black that reads, “Shades of Anger; ‘Palestinians do not know the word impossible’ - Fatima Bernawi; So why should we?” On the right is an image of people gathering by a wall under a sign that reads, “Amplify your voice”

 

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