Londoners join Gaza Freedom March

Greetings from London Ontario.  I am one of 11 Londoners who will be joining the Gaza Freedom March in a few short days. Many people have asked me: Why Palestine? Why not starving Africa? Why not our own native apartheid state? I’ve created many answers in my mind, which usually lead to more questions. Perhaps I came close to the truth once when I heard my voice say “I am called by the energy.” I believe that each one of us needs to create change in the world and at night I hear the children’s voices in Gaza calling my name. I hear the Palestinian man I met recently who held my hand and wept as he sang the folksongs of his homeland. He told me about his family in Gaza who he cannot see.  And he thanked me for doing what he himself is unable to do. 

I also hear the voices of my own sweet children, who have never experienced the suffering of war, and I mourn the loss of all the children of the world who have been caught in a stuggle that isn’t theirs. And I’m called by the voices in Gaza who say:  

[T]he attack on Gaza is not yet over: we, the Palestinians of Gaza
are still living with our physical, mental and emotional wounds. Our
bodies cannot heal because the medicine that we require is not allowed
into the Gaza Strip .Our homes cannot be rebuilt and the mangled steel
and concrete cannot be removed because the trucks and bulldozers that
can remove them are not allowed into the Gaza Strip.

On the eve of the Solstice, a time for cleansing and renewing, I will invite the vision of a free Palestine. I believe it will take a huge conscious shift to get us there, but I know I have a role to play in making it happen. I also hear the truth that we have to tear down all the walls first. Until then we can't see the truth.
Wendy Goldsmith

Wendy Goldsmith

Wendy Goldsmith has been a social worker in London for the past 20 years, working with children, families, newcomers, survivors of abuse and women’s groups. She is committed to promoting peace...