WFM Statement on Gaza and Israel
“There are so many different parts to each of us. And there are so many of us. If we can envision the future we desire, we can work to bring it into being. We need all the different pieces of ourselves to be strong, as we need each other and each other’s battles for empowerment.”
-Audre Lorde, Oberlin College, May 29, 1989
Our hearts are heavy as we witness thousands of lives lost and impacted in Gaza and Israel. As a community foundation, the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota believes our work for gender and racial justice is intersectional and those closest to injustice are the ones who have the solutions we need to support. When mass deaths of women, children, and families are happening, the trauma impacts communities here in Minnesota and beyond borders for generations to come. Most abductions and deaths from the conflict are children, hospitals are lacking medical necessities for maternal and pediatric care, and violence against women and girls, many whom are caregivers, increases drastically. Philanthropy has a responsibility to speak up and resource communities not only globally but locally, to those who have been doing critical work on the ground to fight Islamophobia, antisemitism, apartheid as well as misinformation and disinformation that continues to drive harmful narratives about marginalized communities.
In times of crises, the strength of our state comes from partners leading the way in movements, organizing, and urging philanthropy to do more. For 40 years, we’ve listened, and we’ll continue to listen in the spirit of our commitment to gender and racial justice. Below are some organizations you can support and follow.
Local Organizations:
- MN Chapter of American Muslims for Palestine
- MN Chapter of National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) Israel Granting Program Emergency Appeal
- Mizna
- RISE
National Organizations:
