#6: I sat out of a walk out
and i cried about it
hi hi hi sisters ♡
welcome back to a new week! if you are new, i’m so happy to have you, you can look at old newsletters by clicking here for the archive ◡̈
this week has been hard for everyone around the world, it is awful to be witnessing a horrific genocide and ethnic cleansing in history continually unfold in front of us. however, it has been occurring for decades now, and I hope that with all the current eyes on the middle east that justice can finally come to the palestinian people, this is a long newsletter and STUFFED with links to videos and articles, but i really ask you to take the time and look at what i have tried to put together to help us all learn more and educate ourselves with what is happening, but i’ll be getting more into that in the adulting section.
its the turn of the seasons, I highly recommend a good ol’ closet reset. I took the time on friday to put away summer clothes and take out my sweaters and jackets and coats in preparation of winter, and to finally start wearing them for fall. it was nice to see what I had and to realize that I probably wasn’t going to wear quite a bit of the clothing i’ve had under my bed and I could get rid of them. its always nice to get your clothes and closet in order and it truly was a big to do item, so i’m glad I was able to get it done.
movies: we watched Coraline for Movie Church this week, our internet did go out in the middle of it and completely decided to die on us, BUT Alyssa went all IT on our electronics and we were able to finish the movie. i really enjoyed it. I thought it was first off really impressive with all of the clay-mation and stop motion and second I found the story to be very intriguing. maybe scary for children; just thinking about the movie if it wasn’t animated, it would be HORRIFIC. but alas it was animated, so that made it enjoyable and not scary.
music: I found a new album, that is so groovy and dance-y and so so so fun. I had seen a little clip of this music video on tiktok and was entranced and immediately watched the full music video along with a couple of other ones they did for this album. I think these might be my new favorite music videos like ever. 100% begging you all to watch at least this music video. the album is very different than what probably most of you listen to, but if you do want to listen to it, it is called Volcano by the band Jungle
in my mind: been trying to read and understand the history and current genocide that is occurring between Palestine/Gaza and Israel. I think this article does a really good job at giving a brief summary of the issues at both sides. it is a couple of a weeks old so death numbers are not updated. he is a nonpartisan writer and shares his opinion at the end, his opinion is just that, his OPINION. so please don’t come at me if you don’t agree with it, I don’t agree with all of it either, BUT I do think that his argument is one that should be read by a lot of people to better understand how incredibly complex this issue is. (what is not complex is that children are being killed and that needs to end like NOW) its easy for me to say that he is in the wrong because he is not explicitly pro-palestine, however he is not pro-israel either. he recognizes and points out the issues that both sides have; how Hamas is an extremist group and not representative of the Palestinian people; how most Jews that live in Israel are not supportive of this conflict, but are in Israel because that is where they were born; and so much more. his article is embedded with so many links that I will be going through in the next week to just try to gain some more knowledge on it all.
I do want to share one snippet of his article though:
“You cannot keep two million people living in the conditions people in Gaza are living in and expect peace.
You can't. And you shouldn’t. Their environment is antithetical to the human condition. Violent rebellion is guaranteed. Guaranteed. As sure as the sun rising.
….
Unfortunately, most people in the West only pay attention to this story when Hamas or a Palestinian in Gaza or the West Bank commits an act of violence. Palestinian citizens die regularly at the hands of the Israeli military and their plight goes largely unnoticed until they respond with violence of their own. Israel had already killed an estimated 250 Palestinians, including 47 children, this year alone. And that is just in the West Bank.”
well this is a continuation of the consuming article i shared. I think being an adult very much includes taking the time to learn about the issues of the world, and this is an an issue that everyone needs to learn about. I guess I would first very much encourage everyone to watch this tiktok that gives a beautiful synopsis of the history of the Palestine-Israel conflict that has been occurring since the 1940’s, it is almost 9 minutes long, but I think it is a really good place to start.
I myself have been acutely aware of the Israel-Palestine conflict since high school due to having friends who were actively engaged in the pro-palestine cause. I then became MUCH more aware and learned so much about it while I did a study abroad in 2018 in Jerusalem, and this is where my complex feelings and emotions come into play. I am eternally grateful for my time in Jerusalem and Israel. I can say that without a doubt, I am the person I am today because of that experience. I love Jerusalem. I love all the people I met there. I love the spiritual sites and every experience I had on those sacred grounds; I learned to love people unconditionally in Jerusalem. I loved waking up to the call of prayer and hearing it throughout the day. I love the food I was able to experience and walking through the old city with all the smells included. I loved learning about Islam and Judaism and Christianity and Bahai and other religions, as Israel, specifically Jerusalem, is the epicenter of three major world religions. there is beauty in the melting pot of these religions all honoring a certain place. but with all of that love comes a whole lot of guilt and almost shame. my passport doesn’t have a stamp for israel, it instead had a little piece of paper clipped in, and that’s for a reason folks. its sometimes hard for me to say “I love Jerusalem” because of the responses i’ve gotten from it. those that went to BYU understand that the students that went to BYU Jerusalem are obsessed with it, but outside of BYU, that statement comes with a price. up until a month ago my boyfriend and i were never really able to have a conversation about Israel and Palestine because he had a really hard time comprehending how I could have such a love and appreciation for a country that has been committing a genocide on the Palestinian people for decades.
on thursday at school there was a walk out for Palestine, specifically a walk out to rally for our dean to condemn the genocide in gaza as she has not yet and CUNY as a whole (the CUNY umbrella is like 20+ colleges/campuses) has claimed to be pro-israel. teachers at my school and other CUNY professors have written letters to the head of CUNY and have made it abundantly clear that they are not pro-israel and it was incredibly inappropriate for the chancellor to make such a statement on behalf of thousands. i don’t have to share my reasons for not participating with you all, suffice to say that I did not participate in the walk out during my class even though I am fully pro-palestine. in that moment in class I just started crying. while I think walk outs and rallies and protests and gatherings are so so so incredibly powerful, in that instance I felt completely powerless and a walkout was not going to help me feel like I could make a difference. but when I got home I started looking up how I could make a difference. I recognize my privilege that comes from being able to “step away” from the news and “take a break” from consuming everything, however that is not the case for those LIVING in it. it can be incredibly overwhelming to see the atrocities on our screens and every platform of social media, but taking a break for our mental health isnt going to end this. we can sleep in our cozy beds at night knowing that we will wake up in them tomorrow and have like an almost 100% guarantee that we won’t be under rubble in the morning. so here are some things I have done and you can do as well to hopefully call for an end to this:
write a letter to my representatives asking for a ceasefire (this is a little graph that shows how many americans want a ceasefire). it is horrific that our country leaders are not calling for a ceasefire, if Vladimir Putin can call for a ceasefire (which like he’s one to talk but in this instance i’ll accept his thinking), the land of the free and home of the brave sure can. it is disgusting that the united states is funding this apartheid while claiming to have no money for the issues in our own country…
donate money to the PCRF for Urgent Relief for Gaza’s Children. the donation is on my instagram profile for those that want to donate, they have waived all processing fees at the moment. you don’t have to donate money there, you can find an organization that resonates with you if you’d rather do that
follow along and listen to Palestinian voices; our western news is writing the story of what is happening in Gaza and Israel. we need to listen to those in the Middle East. Motaz Azaiza is a photographer currently in Gaza and posting daily, it is a horrific site that brings me to tears, but it is real and raw and shows you EXACTLY what is happening
call your representatives asking them to call for a ceasefire and stop the genocide in Gaza. here are some numbers and a script you can use, I took a screenshot from my friend’s instagram. these include individuals representing New York and Utah. I will be calling them this week.
I am scared and sad for the prominent rise of anti-semitism that is occurring in our country and around the world; did you know that the phrase “antisemitic” should include being hostile to arab people? the definition of semitic is “relating to or denoting a family of languages that includes Hebrew, Arabic, and Aramaic and certain ancient languages such as Phoenician and Akkadian, constituting the main subgroup of the Afro-Asiatic family.” however, following the definition that is used to only include the hostility of jewish people; i am scared for the anti-semitism in our country and around the world. and I am equally scared and sad for the Islamophobia that has been around for so long. I don’t know the answer to all of it, or how to make a change, it is awful that people are losing their jobs because they are pro-palestine, it is awful that my school is being threatened to lose funding because students and teachers are pro-palestine. but i need to be on the right side of history here even if my law school becomes not longer a law school. i don’t know the answer to literally world peace, but I do know that I can do my part to love those around me, learn for myself, try to change the narrative that is being shared, and work towards a fight that makes a difference in this world.
okay lets end on some happier things ♡
tiktok: taylor swift and travis kelce holding hands; nothing like good ol drama from decades ago being exposed hehe; P!nk is truly so impressive
pinterest: he feels the music in his soul; he deserves the best birthday; maybe i’ve shared this before, but i am mesmerized by this
instagram: one of my favorite influencers is pregnant; I will be getting this issue of GQ; might be this couple for halloween
this was a mixed bag of a newsletter, but it might continue to be for the next who knows how long…
however that being said, take care of yourselves my sweet friends. this world is scary and i’m constantly afraid of everything bad that could happen to me and those around me. but also we only have this life and I need to make it the best life I can.
love you all
xoxo,
your big sis, kaitlynn
