I've been invited to join a Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA) delegation to Palestine, April 1-8. This delegation is made up of leaders from advocacy organizations that focus on issues adjacent to Palestinian liberation, such as immigration, LGBTQIA+, housing, peacemaking, antiracism, environmentalism, and reproductive justice. We will meet with organizational leaders so that we may learn from, listen to, and relay the stories of the Palestinian people to our own communities when we return home.The goals of the delegation are: 

• Being with and encouraging the people who are under attack
• Exposing human rights violations
• Strengthening and encouraging U.S. advocacy for a just peace

The complicity of the United States in the ongoing forced displacement, illegal detainment, military occupation, and indiscriminate killing of Palestinians is clearer now than it ever has been. As we witness the continued violence of Israeli occupation, many have awakened to the realities of the ongoing Israeli project to destroy Palestinian culture, identity, society, and population. I believe we must continue sharing information and lifting up the moral imperative for Palestinian liberation. Therefore, I am putting my beliefs into action and going in person as a witness to the West Bank. 

I am embarking on this journey with a learner's mind. I know very well that I don’t know everything there is to know about the history of this crisis and the current situation on the ground, which is why I will go and learn from human rights organizations and faith-based organizations within Palestinian communities. I invite you to support this learning immersion journey through donations of any size. My participation is self-funded through my own personal contributions and my professional expenses, but additional funds raised through this platform will be donated to Sabeel for other delegates who do not have the funds to participate. 

If you choose to donate, you do NOT need to donate additional funds to the zeffy platform. Just select zero when it comes to that field on the form (www.zeffy.com/en-US/fundraising/meagan-henry). I will share real-time experiences via social media (Instagram and Facebook) and I will be available to continue to share what I witness and learn upon my return. You can find me on Instagram (@revmeaganbelden) and Facebook (@meaganhenry). May we be mutual partners in the pursuit of freedom. 

In solidarity, Rev. Meagan