First Person Singular – Mary Yoder, A Life of Peace and the Fight for Justice in Palestine

 

Mary Yoder with two Palestinian children
JP Marat: What is your name?

Mary: My name is Mary Yoder. I’m a registered Nurse in Columbus, Ohio.

Tell us about yourself

I grew up in a big Mennonite family. I’m a member of Christian Peacemaker Teams and Jewish Voice for Peace. Both groups advocate for human rights for the Palestinian people.

Don’t Israelis and Palestinians all want to live in peace?

Yes! I’ve met many good people on both sides who want to live in peace and harmony but Israeli government policy makes that impossible.

What attracted you to Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT)?

I’ve always been interested in communal living. I like getting to know people on a deeper level than just being casual friends at work. CPT empowered me to live that way while working for Peace and Justice in Palestine. I attended preliminary training in Chicago for four weeks then traveled to Palestine for three months. During our time in Chicago we studied advocacy, after trauma care, acting as a human shield, lobbying local government organizations, nonviolent resistance, etc.

Hmmm. Sounds to me like you were preparing for trouble.

Actually one of CBT’s slogans is “Getting In the Way!”

Get in the way of what?

Well many things. 1. Getting in the way of the Israeli military demolishing Palestinian homes or tear gassing children walking to school in defiance of a curfew; 2. Getting in the way of Israeli settlers seizing Palestinian owned land; 3. Making a presence known at the many checkpoints that scar the occupied territories.

West Bank Checkpoints
Let’s start with Checkpoints. Tell me about them.

The West Bank is approximately 90 miles long and 35 miles wide. There are about 600 roadblocks and checkpoints. This like driving to Cincinnati and being forced to stop 600 times. For Americans, this is completely unimaginable.

How long does one need to wait at the each checkpoint?

It is unpredictable by design. Some checkpoints are fairly quick. Others require a one to eight hour wait. Others are closed on and off, so you can’t get through at all. The situation changes constantly.

What if you are a peaceful Palestinian who has never been ‘“in trouble.” Can you obtain a pass to get through checkpoints faster?

No. The checkpoints are based on race and nationality not on whether you are suspected of having committed a crime. The overwhelming majority of the Palestinian people have never been “in trouble.”

Do Israelis and western tourists also need to wait at these checkpoints?

Israelis have different color license plates. They are quickly waved through. Likewise western tourists can pass without delay.

What if you are going to work? Can you get a pass from your employer or the Israeli Army to pass through the checkpoint unimpeded?

Are you kidding?! No. There is no “fast pass lane” for Palestinians.

What if you have a sick child or elderly parent? Is there an exception for that?

That is the scariest part of all. Pregnant women, sick children and adults perish at checkpoints. In period between 2000-2007, thirty-five babies died.

Do you have personal knowledge of this occurring?

Unfortunately, yes. My best friend from Hebron was held at a checkpoint. Despite pleas for her obvious feverish infant she was forced to wait. When she was finally allowed to pass and go to hospital the infant had gotten worse and died. The doctor attending the child wrote a note detailing that the child’s death was the result of delays at the checkpoint.

Was she a terrorist? Did she have affiliations with terrorist organizations?

No she was a loving Palestinian mother with a sick child. She was educated in Jordan and spoke perfect English. She was a kind woman who doted on her husband and loved her children.

Did she have a police record? Was she under suspicion of any crimes?

Absolutely not. She was simply a Palestinian woman with a sick child.

Why don’t we ever hear about this type of thing on US news?

There is an obvious and unfair bias against Palestinians in the United States media and in Congress.

What is the purpose of these checkpoints?

The Israeli military says they are for security but this is highly questionable. They are put into areas to facilitate Israeli settlement expansion. The intent is to make life extremely difficult for local Palestinians so that they abandon their homes and move away. When that happens they can be taken over by Israeli settlers or demolished. From 2014-2015 the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) issued permission to confiscate 7,000 acres of Palestinian land.

Home Demolitions and Land Grabs
Under what circumstances might the Israeli army demolish a Palestinian home?

Palestinians who have committed crimes against Israeli may have their homes demolished. Homes may also be demolished if they are near a place where Israel wants to build a settlement.

What if other family members are living here?

Typically 10-20 family members are displaced. Dynamite is often used which cracks the foundations of neighboring homes making them uninhabitable as well. No compensation is provided for homes that are demolished or rendered unlivable.

Is this practice of home demolition used against Israelis who are convicted of terrorist offenses against Palestinians?

No. In the occupied territories (West Bank and Gaza) all Palestinians live under Israeli military law. Jewish Israelis have full human rights and live under Israeli civilian law.

Do you have personal knowledge of Palestinian land grabs?

Yes. I was present for many home demolitions. Typically neighbors come to watch. They hold each other, pray and cry. Little time is given to allow the family opportunity to move out their belongings. Often life savings in the form of a home and furnishings are destroyed within minutes. Afterwards the family will sometimes live in a tent near the remains of the wreckage or move away (which is often the purpose of the home demolition).

Do you feel this is a problem with a few bad Israeli officers?

Policy for Palestinian land confiscation is passed by the Knesset and enforced by the Israeli ilitary and the Settler Movement.

This sounds like extreme violence against Palestinians civilians.

Yes. For years, the United Nations has passed resolutions condemning Israeli atrocities. Most Americans may or may not know that the World Court, The United Nations, [and world opinion] has condemned the Wall [separating Israeli’s and Palestinians] and the occupation of West Bank and Gaza.

What do “average” Israeli’s say about this?

They are very divided. Religious settlers support many of the crimes committed to obtain West Bank land. Some are economic settlers (from the United States or elsewhere) attracted by financial opportunities. However there is a growing movement of Israelis who strongly oppose these policies. For instance Arik Escherman (Rabbis for Human Rights) has been jailed numerous time for standing up for Palestinians threatened with home demolition. There are a number of Israeli groups that advocate for Palestinian human rights.

What other personal experiences have you had with land confiscation?

A Jewish settler was demolishing a Palestinian vineyard near Hebron. I was taking photos of his bulldozer for Christian Peacemaker Teams. The settler jumped off the bulldozer with an automatic weapon. He tore the camera away from me and threw me to the ground, resulting in two herniated neck disks which required surgery.

Were you afraid for your life?

It all happened very fast.

Did the US government step in and protest on your behalf?

No they did not. The US Embassy and State Department acts respectfully toward Christian Peacemaker Teams but US government policy provides billions of dollars of direct and indirect aid to Israel. They are largely non critical of human rights abuses against the Palestinian people.

While living in Palestine, did you ever feel that you were in danger from Arabs?

No.

Did you ever feel in danger when dealing with Israeli settlers or Israeli military?

Yes. In addition to incident I mentioned above, I was placed in a Palestinian home to act as a human shield to guard them against attacks from Israeli settlers. Typically in settler attacks, homes are surrounded. Windows are broken. Cars are set on fire. Houses are ransacked. In parts of Hebron, if a Palestinian home is left unoccupied for even a short period of time, Jewish Settlers may move in and refuse to leave. They are often supported by the Israeli military.

How can Americans support peace and justice issues in Israel and Palestine?

First become knowledgeable in understanding the current situation. Check out both neutral information sources like the United Nations (Humanitarian Bulletin Monthly Report for the Occupied Territories) http://www.ochaopt.org/as well as websites run by activist groups like Christian Peacemaker Team and Jewish Voice for Peace.

What is the Boycott, Divestment & Sanction Movement (BDS)?

In 2009 Palestinian Christians wrote a call to action entitled the Kairos Document (http://www.kairospalestine.ps/content/kairos-document) outlining their extreme suffering at the hands of Israeli Government. It was modeled after a similar document penned in South Africa during the apartheid regime and was one of several seminal events that lead to the worldwide movement to Boycott, Divest and Sanction the South African government.

Today’s Boycott, Divestment & Sanction (BDS) movement calls for a nonviolent response to the Israeli attacks against the Palestinian people. It has grown from a small idea tossed about in online chat rooms to an International movement supported many churches, faiths, universities, groups and individuals. Essentially BDS means: a) Boycott Israeli Products made in the West Bank; b) Divest from Israel (and Israeli financial institutions); c) Apply international sanctions to Israeli until it supports human rights for the Palestinians.

It is interesting to note that in October 2015 the Ohio legislature quietly passed a bill disallowing financial assistance (or state contracts) to be awarded to institutions and/or entities backing the BDS movement.

Your time in Palestine was challenging. Was it also enjoyable?

It was. We loved to go to open air markets and mix with friendly people we met there. I spent a lot of time walking (instead of driving in a car) which was healthy. The local kids were great. They’d yell your name loudly whenever they saw you on the street. Also the food was wonderful: fresh humus and flatbread, tasty vegetables, wonderful tea. It was also terrific working with the Israeli activists who joined us in our fight for human rights for the Palestinians. Some have moved from a secular to a religious standpoint, strongly asserting that the ancient Jewish prophets affirm the dignity and humanity of all races.

Are you hopeful for the future?

Yes. The trends for social justice are improving. We must all do our part regardless of where we live in the world.

What are you doing now?

I’m promoting a film called “Two Blue Lines,” available at http://www.ameu.org/. It documents a lot of the things we’ve discussed today. Please contact me (or email JP Marat@BigBarkingDog.com) for more information on scheduling a viewing. Consider getting involved with Christian Peacemaker Teams, http://www.cpt.org/or Jewish Voice for Peace https://jewishvoiceforpeace.org/ or similar organizations.

First Person Singular – Calla, local poet

calla
JP Marat writes:

I’m fortunate. My radio show on WCRS 98.3 / 102.1 on Thursday Nights at 11pm (Big Barking Dog Alternative Radio Hour) gives me the opportunity to interview local musicians, artists and poets. In preparation for a radio show that aired on Feb 26, (“Columbus Musicians & Poets v2”) I spoke to an extraordinary young woman named Calla. If you attend any of the poetry slams around town, you’ve definitely seen her. Five feet nothing. Piercing brown eyes. Quick to smile. Strong & agile. Mischievous. Most likely a ninja in a previous life. We met at Kafe Kerouac on High Street. I let my audio recorder roll. We talked about gender, love, Skyline Chili and Tupac Shakur. The conversation that evening intrigued me. As the night ended, I needed to know more about her concept of “Body Politics.” Calla obliged. About a week later I got an email from her . . . Girl can write . . . Just Say’in.

Calla writes:

“Frankincense burst over hot coals-red, smoke fills the living room of our apartment and it smells like bliss, the phone rings, my mom grabs it, while I watch its long cord snake all the way into the kitchen. As my mom turns down the music she takes a deep breath then answers the phone – “Hello?” “This, is Angela.” When I hear her, I say, “Mommy that’s not your real voice why you talking like white people?” My mom shoots me “the look” and a swat on the butt that signals “Get yo lil’ black ass out of here.” Later on I asked my mother why’d she change her voice and she said, “Jobs like it when you sound white because it’s professional.” It seemed insignificant at the time – My mother changing voices, but over the years, I would come to understand – this was skill my mother had learned to navigate an oppressive system. White-supremacist-capitalist-patriarchy (the system) seeks to make Black people conform to normative ways of being (whiteness).

Feminism teaches that the personal is political – that means that what we choose to do to our bodies, what we say at home, what we do in private, what we believe, how we identify, how we act – is all political – it’s all connected to a system of domination and control that seeks to crush anything that is not white. Blacks are told that if they want to find a job then they better learn how to speak “proper” english – “can’t be sounding all ghetto or else they won’t call you back,” If you don’t want to get harassed by the police then don’t dress like a “‘thug’”– the point I’m trying to make is that a lot of what is Black is deemed unprofessional and what is considered white is professional. Normative standards are rooted in whiteness and when Black people have to act “professional” (in other words, white) – a feeling of shame and negativity of one’s own race is brought on. And it urges Black people to ignore who they are in order to partake in the benefits of the system for example; a job. This often forces Blacks into a false binary; conform or die.

But we can overcome the system. There is power in being Black and choosing to not conform. Tupac says, “If I don’t change the world I’ma be changed by the world.” If we are to be free then we have to reject and disrupt whiteness on all forms. For example, when I go to the statehouse or to a “nice” restaurant I wear jeans and if I have gold teeth at the time I wear them. I don’t speak proper English and, yes, this is a choice. I was raised in Lincoln Heights (the hood) and most of my people spoke with Ebonics or African American English Vernacular but my mom taught me “how to speak.” I sag my pants, and I blast trap music out my headphones. This may seem like I’m doing nothing but embodying a stereotype but when Black people reject whiteness it forces white people to immediately deal with their racism. It also makes white people deal with difference. The act of rejecting whiteness creates a libratory experience for Black people, because we enable ourselves to take over and transform spaces by making them different or by bringing the difference to a “white/public/professional space.” By rejecting whiteness we become free because we are no longer asking for equality. We become humans that don’t need whiteness as a validation and that is freedom.

Note from JP Marat

A podcast of interviews with Columbus Ohio Poets, Calla, Verbz Vegas and Tim Williams is available for download free of charge on the WCRS website. Interviews are intercut with music from local Columbus Alternative / Independent musicians. URL is: http://www.wcrsfm.org/audio/user/1851

Want to hook up with the local poetry scene?

There are several excellent poetry slams around town. Kafe Kerouac (2250 North High St.) hosts “Writers Block” on Wednesday night. Cover is $5. Come to listen, recite or just drink coffee at one of Columbus Ohio’s most venerable campus coffee houses.

Introduction by JP Marat

In 1712 on the banks of the James River, Willie Lynch purportedly delivered a speech to Virginia slave owners. His lecture outlined strategies to break the will of enslaved Africans. In addition to whippings and public torture also recommended were: a) destruction of the African family b) forced dependance of the enslaved on their oppressors c) encouragement of hatred and mistrust between the enslaved by exploiting differences in gender, age and place of origin.
Many historians contend the incident is apocryphal. However there is no denying the content of the Willie Lynch Speech accurately reflects methods used by Slave oligarchs to maintain hegemony. In the poem below Willie Lynch addresses premier NFL running back, Marshawn Lynch. Best known for his self-titled “Beast Mode” rushing style, Marshawn has suffered criticism from both the press and NFL owners for not being the right (white?) kind of player off-the-field. Willie Lynch taunts Marshawn with abusive language. His broken field runs are compared to an enslaved African’s attempt at escape. Implied threats of violence and a highly entitled sense of ownership pervade the verses.

from Willie lynch to Marshawn lynch
by Calla

i greet you from the bank

of the James River

in the year of our Lord

to say

run nigga

like you know

that this here field

was once made of cotton

dash like every yard line

you step on is stride

you take for freedom

like each marker is a barrier

you think you can break

like you think

you can break things

boy

like you think

you can out run me

boy

like i ain’t rite here wit ya

boy

dont think

boy

run

i see you trying

to cross them lines

boy

i see you trying to crash

into colossus’ into achilles’

and break the marble of their bones

boy

did you think you would get away

boy

i paid your weight

boy

that’s my flesh

boy

those are my bones

you are mine

boy

and when i say beast

you will beast

face it you’re no Helios

boy