The Last Hug

“Do our men not deserve to be mourned? Are their lives not divine?”

“The exclusion of Palestinian men (and Black and Brown men in general) in the global commentary is rooted in the inherent ideas that their lives are not as valuable, that they are “criminals/terrorists”, and that they are somehow deserving of their deaths and harm, where women and children are not.

It is our responsibility to hold space for our men. It is our responsibility to mourn them, to highlight their names and stories, to not inadvertently lessen them to nameless individuals deserving of their deaths.

The media and international community is actively achieving its agenda when our men are villainized and erased.

They are effectively perpetuating the narrative of Black and Brown men as security threats and criminals. By us only focusing on women and children, we are helping them to carry out that agenda.

There is a fear instilled in our communities, by those in power, that if we honor and grieve our men, we are uplifting “terrorists” and by association open ourselves up to surveillance and backlash.

This is a weapon used by the State, and we must collectively resist these threats and repression.”
- The People’s Psychology (@thepeoplespsychology)

sources:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CyrkXRzvvpG/
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cz1cs92srjk/

Painting description A Palestinian man tightly grips his shrouded child. The man’s eyes are closed as he mourns. In the background is a cityscape in greens and yellows. Above this is an angry red and orange sky filled with fire from bombardment.
Reference image description A Palestinian man tightly grips his shrouded child. The man’s eyes are closed as he mourns.