The North America Nakba Tour 2019 kicked off in Bethesda, Maryland, on Monday, March 4. 89-year-old Mariam Fathalla (Umm Akram), a Nakba survivor from the village of al-Zeeb in Palestine who remains a stateless Palestinian refugee to this day, was joined by Amena ElAshkar, a 24-year-old journalist and translator who is also a stateless Palestinian refugee in Lebanon.

These generations of Palestinian women shared their experiences of trauma, struggle and resistance in the face of ongoing oppression, denial of their civil rights in Lebanon and, most centrally, the denial of their fundamental human right to eturn to their homes and lands in Palestine for over 70 years.

Watch a short excerpt as Umm Akram remembers life in Palestine before the Nakba:

The opening event was hosted at Westmoreland Community Church by the Tree of Life Educational Fund. In the ensuing days, the Tour will proceed to events in Chapel Hill, Charlotte for two events, Atlanta, Birmingham and onward through the Midwest with events planned in Houston, Dallas, Dearborn, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Kansas City, Madison, Milwaukee, Los Angeles and more.

This educational event provides a transformative experience and the opportunity to hear directly from generations of Palestinian women in exile. There are still spots on the tour waiting to be filled – your group can contact info@nakbatour.com for more details about how you can arrange an event in a city like New Orleans, Chicago, Sioux City, Memphis or Austin.

In addition, the scope of this tour means that it carries a significant financial cost. While local host groups cover a portion of these expenses, much more is necessary. You can support the Tour by making an online donation or by contributing to – and sharing – our crowdfunding campaign and helping us to reach our goal.