Have you heard of the BDS Movement?

Have you heard of the BDS Movement?

.Elora Batson.

 

https://bdsmovement.net/ 

Something I reference, preach, and appreciate in daily life as a voter and consumer in the United States is the BDS boycott list. It's a small way I feel I have control over the way my dollar is used in the grand scheme of things, and I really do believe long-standing boycotts like this have (and are starting to presently) have effects on large corporations, their alignments to truth and morality, and the power they have to skirt working practices that are humane and sustainable. The small actions and cries from people matter, and the BDS Campaign seeks to unite these small voices into influential change.

The initial stands for Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions. Launched in 2005, this coalition of Palestinian organizations has sustained this model of strategic social pressure to aid in liberating Palestinians from the illegal occupation of Israel. The language and information on this site are as dire as ever as Israel continues to grow more violent and extreme in their efforts to gain control of Palestine. With every piece of propaganda allowed to criminalize and dehumanize Palestinians, there needs to be tenfold effort to dispel it. Part of combining the voices of many includes having clear and direct representations of the truth from the most vulnerable parties, and the BDS movement in its actions and writings has always been consistently accurate and direct in the representation of Israel's apartheid. In this day and age, becoming familiar with the language the oppressed use to speak about this conflict is vital to seeking an end that preserves the life and rights of everyone.

The BDS movement is particularly powerful in the way it effectively communicates such a nuanced and devastating situation, one with a history that often gets smoothed over in the process of being shared. In America, a large voting base is unswayed and unmotivated for change if we can learn anything from the last election. I believe part of bridging politically unmotivated people to small concerted action is the relevance of coordinated organizations like the BDS movement. With community investment in this organization, there comes a level of legitimacy, which grows its influence, and the cycle continues. Many people ask, ‘How can I help?’ and I can honestly say, this organization has many ways to start.