Category: Personal Essays

The American Dilemma Revisited: From the River to the Ocean

By TihA Antoinette CHarfauros McDaniel TihA Antoinette is an indigenous CHamoru feminist scholar-activist from Guåhan (Guam). She is descended from Familial/Clans Capili, CHunge’ and Deru; Taotao Tamuneng, Barigåda and Hågat.  At a recent event featuring a panel of speakers addressing parallels between the history of Irish colonization, the Great Hunger, and Israel’s sadistic, ongoing genocide […]

Being Palestinian and Being a Father

by Darcy Orzan This Sunday, June 21st, is Father’s Day here in the United States. Although it was created by a daughter wanting to honor her single father in 1910, Father’s Day was not made a permanent national holiday until 1972 when President Nixon signed it into law. On Sunday, I will be celebrating both […]

Being Arab and Being A Mother

By Shereen Naser Recently, my three-year-old and five-year-old, both named after Palestinian revolutionary women, watched Arab American comedian and show writer Ramy Youseef teach Elmo how to say some words in Arabic.  They made me replay the damn video maybe 50 times.  “Is Elmo real?” Leila asked me. I explained to her that Elmo is […]

Rooted in Time: The Olive Trees of Palestine and the Strength of a Living Heritage

By Anonymous Across the hills and valleys of Palestine, olive trees stand as quiet witnesses to centuries of history. Their twisted trunks and silver-green leaves tell stories that stretch far beyond a single lifetime, stories of resilience, belonging, and an unbreakable bond between land and people. During Arab Heritage Month these trees remind us not […]

No Apolitical Existence

By Robiah Darwish ربيعة درويش Arab Heritage Month arrives each year not as a quiet celebration, but as a reminder—of who we are, where we come from, and what we carry forward. For Palestinians, heritage is not something preserved behind glass. It is lived, spoken, cooked, sung, embroidered, and remembered in defiance of the regime […]