Should Blacks Care About Palestine?

As Israel's savage bombardment of besieged-Gaza continues to claim thousands of civilian lives, Africans’ support for Palestine has been on the rise. That's not just on social media, but also in solidarity marches on major city streets.

South Africa has perhaps been Palestine’s fiercest supporter in Africa, with Nelson Mandela famously drawing parallels between the struggle of Black South Africans against white rule and of Palestinians against Zionist Israel’s occupation. However, Africans in the United States also have been drawing parallels between their struggle and that of Palestinians.

Marc Lamont, an academic and author in the United States, explains why the African population should not just care about injustices around them, but also speak out against injustices being meted elsewhere by imperialist powers. “We can chew gum and walk at the same time,” he said in a 2018 clip from radio programme 'The Breakfast Club' when asked why Africans should fight somebody else’s fight while they are struggling for civil liberties.

Then, in an interview last week with 'The Breakfast Club,' he passionately broke down the list of African liberation leaders who championed solidarity with Palestine and advocated for the rest of us to follow suit. It's a great watch. Let us know your thoughts about it.