My friend’s knapsack carried layers of meaning imposed by others.
It is his knapsack that I choose to carry.
We are weary from four hours of marching and sit-ins. We are weary from being watched by police lines, by the need to be doing this at all on a beautiful Saturday in downtown Toronto. I am tired and need to use the washroom. We duck into a large corporation selling crafting goods and proceed to the customer washroom.
My companion is a Palestinian Canadian, a beloved friend, and the godparent of my son; since my little one has been small, my baby has eaten za’atar and olive oil, and he has shimmied his shoulders to the rhythm of Arabic music. We have shared Eid feasts and have broken bread during iftars with our families. My friend became a godparent to my child during our impromptu baptism of my son in the Jordan River, at which he and his sister, observing our homemade ritual of faith, laughed and said, “Your son’s godparents will be Muslim.” I remember keenly feeling the holiness and the harsh separation of this river as a line of buoys floated on the water delineating national borders. From the other side of the bank, armed sentries posed on rooftops.
Today, as I fumble towards the washroom on a brisk cool day, I am carrying a poster with a brightly painted Palestinian flag—the red, green, and black smeared by my young son as he proudly put together a protest sign; in his nine-year-old handwriting, it is lettered, “Palestinian Lives Matter.” This is a craft, I tell myself, made with art supplies. I belong in this store.
My friend is wearing a woven scarf—a keffiyeh—which is a symbol of unity and pride in Palestinian heritage. I am keenly wary of the gaze of others—the shoppers in the plastic Christmas tree section and the security guard, whose gaze shifts to us as we make our way past.
Not having to use the washroom, my companion waits for me near the yarn and fabric section. My senses heighten; I think to myself, he stands out. I worry what standing out will mean in a craft store, and wearing his Palestinian scarf. Wearing his grey knapsack.
I turn back from the washroom and say to my friend, “Let me carry your backpack for you.” Between the police lines of today and the people chanting “Deport them all!” as they pass us sitting in the streets, I am fearful beneath my outer courage.
In a now-famous work on White privilege, Peggy McIntosh details the contents of the “invisible knapsack” that White people have at their disposal, a collection of advantages for White people (McIntosh, 1989). This privilege is not only unearned but is also dependent as a system on the reciprocal oppression of Indigenous and racialized people. The privilege to be an individual, and to not have to represent one’s group, for example, is one of the items in this structure of White privilege that racialized people are denied.
My friend’s knapsack contained exactly hot ginger tea, a bottle of water, and three apples—one for each of us and one extra to give away. But, I was worried that people assumed that there were more nefarious things in it.
My friend’s knapsack carried layers of meaning imposed by others. Too often, he has to worry about representing all Arabs or all Palestinians or all Muslims.
My Palestinian friend’s knapsack could be lighter on my back.
Faith Reflection
Prayer
Christ, born in a stable in Palestine,
A Jew under Roman Occupation,
You see us longing for Life.
May you heal the Holy Land.
Even as weeping and death
Cry out from under the rubble,
You are there.*
I also pray the world will come to understand that my friend here in Canada and his people abroad need safety, and that their lives matter, too.
Living It Out
Education
- Learn about the racism that Palestinian people face by seeking out books, articles, interviews, and social media information by Palestinian and Palestinian diaspora voices.
- Seek out people with experience in the region and ask questions.
- When accessing media ask yourself, “Whose voice/perspective is privileged in this, and what does this have to do with anti-racism?”
- Learn about The United Church of Canada’s existing roots in advocacy and about its global partners who are calling us to care and act. Sign up for newsletters and media updates.
Advocacy
- In advocacy efforts, get to know and follow the lead of Palestinian and Arab people, and take into account diverse perspectives. Not everyone sharing one social group thinks the same way. Be critical of your own privilege and assumptions, and try not to impose your own beliefs on Palestinian advocates, which can come out of a place of our own fear.
- Consider participating in a petition, a demonstration, or a letter-writing campaign.
- Identify organizations promoting interfaith, peace, and/or Palestinian solidarity work that you can support and learn alongside.
Share Your Platforms
- Identify credible sources, including Palestinian reporters, organizations, and commentators, whom you can augment and give voice to in your own life and online engagement.
- Use your access to spaces, such as church communities and service clubs, to highlight the importance of Palestinian voices.
- Hold a film night or book club or invite a speaker.
- Be prepared to shoulder the consequences by understanding your rights and the rights of others.
—Jennifer Hompoth (she/her) is a mixed race ciswoman of Hong Kong Chinese and Hungarian descent. A parent, activist, teacher, and popular educator, Jen lives in Hamilton, Ontario, on land covered by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, and attends New Vision United Church. Jen is a founder and former Executive Director of New Generation Youth Centre, formerly the City’s largest youth drop-in (2010-2018) on the premises of Centenary/New Vision United Church.
*Inspired by the poem, “Where is God in war? God is under the rubble,” by Rev. Munther Isaac, pastor, Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, author of The Other Side of the Wall: A Palestinian Christian Narrative of Lament and Hope (Westmont, IL: IVP, 2020).
References
Anti-Palestinian racism is a relatively new term accompanied by a framework to understand its uses in legal terminology. It is distinct from Islamophobia. A recent report, “Anti-Palestinian Racism: Naming, Framing and Manifestations” published by the Arab Canadian Lawyers’ Association (April 24, 2022), provides more detail on their work in the Canadian context. The report’s Press Release News Conference was attended by The United Church of Canada.
Peggy McIntosh, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” Peace and Freedom Magazine (July/August 1989), 10‒12, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Philadelphia, PA.