ADC to Host Photo Exhibit and Quilt Commemorating 60 years of Palestinian Dispossession at National Convention

posted on: Jun 3, 2008

In commemoration of the 60 year anniversary of the Nakba (‘the catastrophe’), a photo exhibit entitled “Our Story” and a unique quilt of Palestinian embroidery will be on display at the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) National Convention, “Securing the Principles of Liberty”, June 13-15, 2008. This year’s convention will be held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, DC.

The plight of Palestinian refugees and the realities of the situation on the ground serve as the premise of the photo exhibit. Focusing on the wall, settlements, and bypass roads, the themes of “Separation”, “Yearning for Peace”, and “Failure of the Peace Agreements” are all reflected in the exhibit. The exhibit consists of 82 laminated poster boards; there are 61 photo boards and 21 text boards that include titles and text of the Palestinian story of the past 60 years. “Our Story” is produced by Canadian Friends of Sabeel and will be brought to the Convention by the Washington Interfaith Alliance for Middle East Peace (www.wiamep.org).

A large handmade commemorative quilt will also be on display at the Convention. The quilt was painstakingly put together by Palestinians from the Occupied Territories, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and the United States. The quilt is comprised of three sections, each measuring 32 feet by 16 feet. Each section is comprised of square panels dedicated to one of the villages destroyed or depopulated in 1948, with a total of 418 squares.

Both the photo exhibit and quilt are used to educate the general public about the history of the Palestinian people since 1948. The displays are meant not only to raise awareness of the need for peace and justice in the Occupied Territories.

For more information on the exhibit please visit the Canadian Friends of Sabeel website: www.sabeel.ca, or contact ADC via email at organizing@adc.org.