Palestinian Protester to Americans:"Look Where Your Taxes Are Going!"

In 2010, just two years after I began pastoring at Pleasant Hope Baptist Church, I joined a delegation trip to Palestine/Israel because I was curious about what was really going on there. I suspected that American media was skewing the facts to mislead viewers so I decided to go see for myself. The trip which was sponsored by Interfaith Peace Builders (now known as EyeWitness Palestine) opened my eyes as to how government-sponsored oppression operates in the Palestinian context. It reminded me of how people of African descent were and are oppressed here in the United States and around the world.

In the video below, I recorded portions of a protest that happened while I was in Ramallah, a town in the West Bank of Palestine/Israel. The protest sparked after a fleet of humanitarian boats delivering supplies to Palestinians living under the blockade of the Gaza Strip were attacked by the Israeli Navy. Protests erupted around the world. I participated in the demonstration and interviewed a Palestinian woman who had pointed advice for United States citizens who were trying to figure out how to help.