Hannah Moushabeck, 36, is part of a burgeoning movement of Palestinian-American authors publishing children’s books in English with Palestinians as the main characters. The goal, they say, is to give Palestinian youth characters they can identify with.
Palestinians wave their national flag during a protest against an Israeli parade through Jerusalem's Old City, along the frontier with Israel east of Gaza City, Thursday, May 18, 2023.
For Moushabeck, it was a welcome departure from the storybooks her teachers in western Massachusetts made her read. As a first-generation Palestinian-American, she couldn’t relate to the protagonists, usually White girls with White-girl problems. “This book is a gift to my ancestors,” Moushabeck said. “A reminder to preserve and celebrate our culture in the diaspora. And an ode to the power of storytelling.Despite recent strides in the arts, Palestinian-Americans, along with other Arab-Americans, are still woefully underrepresented in books.
“I wanted to create a Palestinian childhood experience that I did not have. I wanted her to have a joyful experience, being Palestinian-American and not having any negative feelings about that,” said Muaddi Darraj, who lives in Baltimore, Maryland. “I wanted her to live in a diverse community where nobody thinks it’s weird that she speaks Arabic and brings Arabic food to school.”
She also struggled with moments of bias and discrimination, including the time a teacher told her there is no such thing as Palestinians and that it’s a made-up identity. After immigrating to the United States at 22, she worked as a journalist but became disillusioned with the profession by how heavily policed her words were when writing or speaking about Palestinians. She ultimately turned to books, publishing three in English and four in Arabic.
The book, which won numerous awards, has been included in school curriculums across the US, exposing children of all backgrounds to the Palestinian experience. “It’s important for all of us to read about people who have different lives and cultures than our own,” said Marshood, 41. “When we read about others, we deepen our empathy and our ability to recognize that as different as we may be…we have a whole lot in common.”
To help them understand, Amahl Bishara, 37, traveled from her home in Medford, Massachusetts, to Aida Refugee Camp, a UN-administered camp between Bethlehem, Beit Jala and Jerusalem, where she enlisted dozens of Palestinian children to write and illustrate an alphabet book. More than 5,000 people live in the camp, which covers less than half a square mile. Most of them are the children and grandchildren of Palestinians who fled or were expelled from their homes by armed Jewish groups during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Palestinians refer to the event, which saw roughly 700,000 people dispossessed and barred from returning to their homes, as al-Nakba, or “the catastrophe.”Of course not all the letters in the book are grim.
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
American Airlines and JetBlue must abandon their partnership in the Northeast, federal judge rulesAmerican Airlines and JetBlue Airways must abandon their partnership in the northeast United States, a federal judge in Boston ruled Friday, saying that the government proved the deal reduces competition in the airline industry.
Read more »
American Airlines, JetBlue ordered by court to end northeast U.S. partnership - National | Globalnews.caThe ruling is a major victory for the Biden administration, which has fought aggressively against mergers and other arrangements between large corporations.
Read more »
American and JetBlue must end alliance, U.S. judge rulesU.S. judge rules American Airlines must end alliance with JetBlue Airways
Read more »
Ford Motors commercial accused of destroying '120 years of American history in one minute'Conservative political commentator Dave Rubin expressed criticized \u0027the obsession to market everything\u0027 towards the LGBTQ+ community.
Read more »
American Airlines pilots reach tentative agreement on new contract, boosting pay by 21 per centAmerican Airlines pilots have agreed in principle on a new contract that boosts their pay by 21 per cent in 2023, sources told Reuters on Friday, ahead of a busy summer travel season, after years of negotiations with the largest U.S. carrier.
Read more »
Ford Motors commercial accused of destroying '120 years of American history in one minute'Conservative political commentator Dave Rubin expressed criticized \u0027the obsession to market everything\u0027 towards the LGBTQ+ community.
Read more »