In a historic statement, which mirrored one made by Palestinian activists a year before during the Ferguson riots, more than 1,000 black American activists, scholars, student organizations, political prisoners and artists have expressed their solidarity with Palestinians – a struggle that, according to the statement, is "a key matter of our time."
Signatories, which include scholar-activist Angela Davis and rapper Talib Kweli, acknowledge the similarities between the Palestinian struggle for liberation and the black struggle for recognition and equality in the United States. Further, activists confirm that their different experiences with oppression, despite being continents away, are very similar, as both governments use the same methods to crack down on the separate movements.
Activists recognized their common battles against "capitalism, colonialism, imperialism, and the various racisms embedded in and around our societies," and pledged economic, cultural and political support to the Palestinian cause.
The statement urged the United States to curb diplomatic and economic ties with Israel, and encouraged black and U.S. institutions to adopt the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions treaty launched in 2005 by Palestinian activists.