This weekend, I had a conversation about Palestine that left me in tears. It wasn’t just the grief of witnessing genocide unfold in real time—it was the rage and betrayal I felt as so many in my industry, in the nonprofit sector, in movement spaces, remained silent. Organizations built on missions of justice, dignity, and human rights were hesitating, avoiding, or outright refusing to acknowledge the catastrophic violence being carried out with our tax dollars.
I understand fear. Fear of losing funding. Fear of upsetting donors or board members. Fear of backlash. But I also know this: silence is complicity. And complicity, in the face of genocide, is inexcusable.
Nonprofits are supposed to be the moral backbone of our society, advocating for those most harmed by oppressive systems. Nonprofits exist because systems of power—white supremacy, colonialism, capitalism, imperialism, and patriarchy—fail people. And yet, when the moment calls for courage, too many organizations shrink back. They issue vague statements about peace while avoiding the reality of U.S.-backed military occupation and mass murder. They water down their values when those values should be guiding them to rise to the occasion.
If we are truly working toward justice, we must speak truth to power—even when it’s uncomfortable, even when it costs us. Especially then.
Where Awake Storytelling Stands
We refuse to look away. We refuse to be neutral. We refuse to prioritize comfort over justice.
At Awake Storytelling, we believe in using storytelling to fuel movements for collective liberation. That means challenging oppressive narratives, holding power to account, and mobilizing people to act. Right now, that means calling this what it is: a genocide. And demanding an end to it.
But we must go further. We oppose not just the genocide, but the settler colonial state of Israel itself. We stand for a free Palestine—from the river to the sea. We refuse to soften our language or cower in the face of propaganda that equates truth-telling with antisemitism. Zionism is not Judaism, and standing against Israel’s settler colonial project is not anti-Jewish. We stand in full solidarity with anti-Zionist Jews who are also calling for Palestinian liberation.
We believe in decolonization. We believe in land back. We believe in the right of return for all Palestinians. We believe in dismantling the violent foundations of Israel’s existence and building a future where Palestinians are free on their own land.
And we know that the struggle for Palestine is deeply connected to struggles for Indigenous sovereignty and land back everywhere. Just as Israel was founded on ethnic cleansing and land theft, so too was the United States. We reject all settler colonial states and fight for the return of stolen land—from Turtle Island to Palestine. Liberation is not selective. Justice cannot be compartmentalized. The systems that oppress Palestinians are the same systems that have dispossessed Indigenous peoples around the world. Dismantling settler colonialism anywhere means dismantling it everywhere.
An Invitation to Rise
If your organization has been afraid to speak, I invite you to step into courage. If you have remained silent, I urge you to find your voice. If you are already taking a stand, I thank you—and encourage you to go further.
Here’s what you can do:
Name the reality: Say the word “genocide.” Say “ethnic cleansing.” Say “settler colonialism.” Say “U.S. complicity.” Say “Palestine.”
Follow Palestinian leadership: Support and amplify grassroots Palestinian organizations and activists.
Mobilize your community: Use your platforms to educate, advocate, and take action.
Divest from oppression: Reevaluate where your organization’s money, partnerships, and resources are flowing.
Justice is not a brand. It is not a marketing strategy. It is a commitment that must be lived, even when it’s hard, even when it has consequences.
This is a call to action. A call to conscience. A call to choose justice over silence.
Will your organization rise to the occasion?