WILLIAMSVILLE-A child asks, “Mama, will the rain last all night?” His mother smiled softly, trying to comfort him while concealing all the pain she was carrying. Meanwhile a father declares, “No matter what, my child, we were going to celebrate your first birthday.”
Such universal expressions of love take on greater meaning when families are doing their best to survive in war-torn Gaza.
Southern Vermont for Palestine will host a community gathering, “We Are Not Numbers: An Evening of Palestinian Stories and Food,” from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6, at Williamsville Hall, 35 Dover Rd. The hall is wheelchair accessible with a ramp to the front entrance. The event will be held on the main floor of the building. Attendees are encouraged to wear masks when not eating.
All proceeds from this benefit event will go directly to We Are Not Numbers, a nonprofit initiative that pairs emerging Palestinian writers with mentors from around the world.
To mark the recent publication of We Are Not Numbers: The Voices of Gaza’s Youth, local theater artists, activists, and home cooks are collaborating to serve a simple, hearty meal of Palestinian food and present a selection of powerful essays from the We Are Not Numbers archive along with other compelling first-person narratives.
As Yusuf, one of the authors in the new book with connections in Vermont, explains, “My words are not mine alone — they are the words of a people who refuse to be forgotten, who refuse to be silenced.”
All attendees can enter a raffle to win a bundle of books from Interlink, the U.S. publisher of We Are Not Numbers. The book will be available for purchase that evening and at Everyone’s Books in Brattleboro.
Attendees are strongly encouraged to preregister via the Action Network website, tinyurl.com/m6p64ne6, to ensure that ample food is available. Tickets for the dinner and staged readings are free, with a suggested donation of $20–$25 per person; no one turned away for lack of funds. A livestream of the program, linked to the website, will be available during and after the event.
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.