The US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) is taking unprecedented steps in the movement for self-determination and liberation in Palestine and justice in the Middle East. This summer, the USPCN is joining thousands of other social justice community organizers for the US Social Forum from June 22-26 in Detroit.

Israel continues to suffocate Palestinians in Gaza with its ongoing siege while constructing more and more illegal settlements and expanding the apartheid wall. We have reached a crucial point. Change is only possible by strengthening the movement for justice in Palestine and making Palestine a part of all social justice movements.

The United States Social Forum (USSF) is more than a conference, more than a networking bonanza, more than a reaction to war and repression. The USSF provides a space to create and strengthen allies, share our experiences, spread awareness, and build coalitions necessary for positive change.  The US Social Forum is an opportunity for our justice-seeking community to unite with other social movements in the United States and abroad, to learn from the work of other social justice movements and to develop a collective strategy and vision necessary to realize another world.

Palestine will be a part of this year’s US Social Forum in several ways. First, there will be a Palestine Tent throughout the five day Forum that will feature Palestinian and Arab culture, informational literature, a Nakba gallery, and other essential contributions by various community organizations. There will be more than 50 Palestine-related workshops at the Social Forum, and 5 major workshops and People’s Movement Assemblies on everything from strengthening BDS, to strengthening the Palestinian exiles in the US, to organizing with labor, and supporting the movements to free Gaza. There will also be Palestinian speakers on the Forum’s plenary panel thereby making Palestine a focal point of the US Social Forum.

Bringing Palestine to the US Social Forum can be done only with your help and contributions.

We invite you to participate by:

1. Making a donation

2. Purchasing advertising space in our printed and online programs which will reach thousands of participants.

Onward to the US Social Forum!

Andrew Dalack, Noura Erakat, Rama Kased, Mezna Qato, Kamelya Youssef

US Palestinian Community Network – US Social Forum 2010 Organizing Committee

about USPCN

The US Palestinian Community Network is a Palestinian community-based network that grew from the Palestinian Popular Conference that took place in Chicago on August 8-10, 2008, drawing 1000 members of the Palestinian community in the US together to empower our community, unify our voice, and affirm the right of Palestinians in the Shatat (exile) to participate fully in shaping our joint destiny. The USPCN is anchored in the following objectives:

  • Self-determination and equality for the Palestinian people
  • The right of all Palestinian refugees to return to their original homes, lands, properties and villages (a natural right supported by international law and UN Resolution 194)
  • Ending Zionist occupation and colonization of Palestine

The USPCN is an arena where individuals and organizations come together to coordinate and refine strategies, link efforts, plan united actions, and inform one another and the community about their work on behalf of Palestine.

at the US Social Forum

USPCN’s participation in the USSF’s National Planning Committee signifies a momentous shift for both the Left movement in the U.S. as well as for Palestinian rights activism. Through Palestinian community participation, we aim to encourage the US Left movement to integrate the Palestinian struggle for self-determination into its analysis and work. Conversely participation allows Palestinian rights advocates as well as Palestinian-Americans who struggle for their labor, housing, immigrant, racial, and criminal justice rights, to align themselves more firmly within the Left to build another world together. USPCN sees many roles that the Palestinian/Arab community could and should play at the USSF, including but not limited to:

  • Asserting the Palestinian narrative in discussions of Palestine Liberation and its connection to the overall social justice movement;
  • Building alongside and in solidarity with other social justice movements in the US; and
  • Cultivating Palestinian/Arab leadership and participation in various pursuits for social justice in the U.S.