Until Return - Issue 3
Report on Third Al-Awda West Coast Regional Conference
by Until Return Southern California Reporter
December 11, 2007
The Third Al-Awda West Coast Regional Conference was held on December 1, 2007 at Al-Awda's Center in Carlsbad, California.
The purpose of the conference was to work on the organization of the upcoming 6th Annual International Al-Awda Convention which will take place on the 60th year of the Nakba May 16-18, 2007 in Anaheim California.
This convention is happening at an important juncture in our struggle to reclaim and return to our homeland, as Zionist and US efforts intensify to negotiate away and deny our natural, inalienable and non-negotiable right to return to our homes and land.
The convention will commemorate the Zionist-imposed Nakba on our people starting 60 years ago and it will honor all those who struggled and continue to struggle to return and regain our land: our women, men and children.
Al-Awda members came from southern and northern California, Oregon and Arizona. Among those present were representatives of the convention's host committee (see partial listing at http://al-awda.org/convention6/hosts.html). Also in attendance were representatives from ANSWER, Troops Out Now Coaliton, Alternate Focus TV, and other solidarity organizations.
The conference attendees agreed to make education a key component of the convention's program. Topics will include modern history, current affairs, the democratic secular state model, the parallels with the former South African apartheid regime, and the current status of refugees. Additionally, several specialty workshops will be organized in order to continue and extend Al-Awda's ongoing projects and programs.
Participants at the conference also shared their ideas on how to develop further outreach and fundraising efforts in the lead-up to the convention. Several regional action committees related to these aspects of the convention were set up.
As part of the commemoration of the 60th year of al-Nakba, a rally is being organized for the last day of the convention.
The meeting also discussed the organizing of local events leading up to and following the convention.
Finally, progress reports were presented followed by discussion on the development of Al-Awda's other important ongoing west coast regional, national and international projects such as Refugee Support, the Palestine Library and the Palestine Media Center. As part of the Refugee Support report, a short film was shown on how funds we raised recently were used to help our people in the detention camps along the Iraq border and in the Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria.
As a commemoration of the 60 years of al-Nakba, the 6th Annual Al-Awda International Convention must be, and will be a major forum for Palestinians, and their supporters to tell the world:
We exist. We remember. We struggle on. We will never forget. We will Return!
For regular updates on the program and organizing of the 6th Annual Al-Awda International Convention, please visit http://al-awda.org/convention6/index.html.
To support the convention with your sponsorship, go to http://al-awda.org/convention6/sponsor.html. Any amount that you donate to help defray costs will be appreciated!
Until Return!
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