Hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the Rhode Island State House on Oct. 5 — the culmination of a week of events and activities put together by a coalition of community organizations, local businesses, medical professionals and students from across the state.
Organizer Maya Lehrer welcomed to the stage the first speaker of the day: Loubna Qutami, who Lehrer described as “a scholar, a feminist, a Palestinian.” As the crowd cheered, Qutami said loudly into the microphone, describing the crowd before her bedecked in the colors of the Palestinian flag, “What a beautiful sea of red, black, green and white.”
Qutami is a postdoctoral research associate at Brown University, co-founder of the Palestinian Youth Movement, and a member of the Palestinian Feminist Collective.
“What has kept me going this entire year is how much deep love and solidarity is between Palestinians and other communities. You know, our Palestine movement in North America is diverse,” Qutami said. “It is not only comprised of Palestinians, not only Arabs and Muslims. People from all walks of life, all faiths, all sectors, young people, children, students, youth, families, artists, health care workers, like everyone has played their role in really building one of the most phenomenal movements of our time in this country.
“And I think that is part of what has sustained me and sustained so many of my Palestinian family and friends, knowing that we’re not alone in this fight.”
This story was reported by The Public’s Radio. You can read the entire story here.
