Today is my birthday. I am 34 years old and in my third year working as National Organizer with the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation.
I am writing with a birthday wish: that you help me celebrate my big day by donating to the US Campaign.We are a coalition of more than 400 U.S. organizations working to end U.S. support for Israel’s violations of Palestinian rights, with the end goals of freedom, justice, and equality for all people in Palestine/Israel.
My love for and belief in the organization grows stronger with every passing day. Want to know the kind of work to which you could contribute? Here are just five out of hundreds of things I have worked on just since my last birthday:
1. We helped to lead a successful international campaign compelling musical legend Stevie Wonder to cancel a planned fundraising performance for the Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces. His withdrawal marked perhaps the biggest U.S. cultural boycott victory to date!
2. We garnered unprecedented media coverage -- FOX, ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, MSN, C-SPAN, Rolling Stone,The New York Times, Entertainment!, Associated Press, Reuters, The Washington Times, Chicago Tribune, Yahoo News, AOL, BBC, The Guardian, Australian ABC News, South African Guardian, Jerusalem Post, Haaretz, Israel National News, and this month’s Harper’s Magazine! Slowly but surely, activism for Palestinian rights isgoing mainstream!
3. I provided online and in-person trainings, online action technology, one-on-one strategic support, and other mentorship to more than 50 organizations nationwide, including campus groups, faith-based organizations, and city- or state-wide coalitions.
4. Near home in St. Louis, I worked with the Palestine Solidarity Committee on an exhilarating Dump Veolia Campaign that has brought together environmental, labor, civil rights, and Palestine solidarity activists to stop the infamous, multinational corporation Veolia -- the largest water privatization corporation in the world and big-time occupation profiteer -- from winning a city contract in the nick of time.
5. I debated war-monger Richard Perle and other traditional gate-keepers of U.S. and Israeli oppressive policies at the prestigious Oxford Union -- and won!
None of this work would have been possible without the US Campaign. Every day, I struggle to divide my time between so many possible ways to support our amazing member groups working hard across the country to apply the needed pressure on Israel to ends its abuses. There’s so much to do! My dream is that someday we can hire more boycott and divestment organizers, or perhaps regional organizers. But we are a small organization trying to grow.Will you help?
I am hoping to raise $5,000 by the end of the month. Even if each of you gives just one dollar, we can reach that goal. Whether you give that or $10 or $20 or $34 or $100, or more, I am grateful. It is the act of giving that counts (and, of course, if you cannot give, that’s okay too).
One final request: When you visit the giving page, consider giving a recurring donation, even if it’s a small amount. When you give on a monthly, quarterly, or even annual basis, it helps us plan long-term and grow, and it means we spend less time on fundraising and more time on making a difference!
Thanks in advance to all who are able to help my birthday wish come true. And thank you to everyone for the wonderful work you do for justice -- here at home, in Palestine, and beyond.
Humbly yours,
AnnaP.S. Whether or not you can give, please consider sharing the link on Facebook and Twitter if you are on social media: https://donatenow. networkforgood.org/annaturns34 -- that helps a lot too! xo
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