News from the Patton Library
Growing up an American-born Palestinian in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, I inherited a complicated heritage. Palestinians were suffering then as much as they are today, but it went largely whitewashed by media coverage that rarely showed both sides of the reality. As a result, most Americans saw Palestinians as a people without a land, or — thanks to Hollywood — as terrorists.
Today, the view of Palestine and its people looks very different. Support is growing across some mainstream news outlets, and social media can’t hide the images anymore. And there are individuals speaking out from positions of real power, like Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
I recently read her book When the World Sleeps and donated it to the Patton Library. It’s a compelling read, regardless of your politics, religion, or background. Across ten stories, Albanese draws on her years living in Jerusalem and her work documenting the occupation, weaving together people from Hind Rajab, a young girl killed by Israeli forces, to Jewish scholars like Holocaust historian Alon Confino who shaped her own understanding. The common thread is that the world is sleeping through what she describes as a carefully orchestrated genocide — and she draws a pointed throughline between the Holocaust and what is happening to Palestinians now.
This was an important read, but not an easy one. The stories are shocking and heartbreaking. I also came away with something else I learned, as much from my own family’s history as from the book: Palestinians are determined people who do not give up.
My father just turned 91. I don’t think he’ll live to see peace restored in the land of his birth. But I pray that I will, in mine.
Sandra Lane