Sumaya Awad
Image of Sumaya Awad from the shoulders up. She is facing the camera wearing a pale blue hijab.
Sumaya Awad in 2021
NationalityPalestinian American
EmployerAdalah Justice Project
OrganizationDemocratic Socialists of America
Children1

Sumaya Awad is a Palestinian American writer and activist based in New York City. She directs strategy and communications for Adalah Justice Project, and co-edited the book Palestine: A Socialist Introduction, published in 2020.

Activity

Awad is Director of Strategy and Communications for Adalah Justice Project,[1][2] and a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.[3]

With Bill V. Mullen, Awad created the website Against Canary Mission in 2018, intended to counter the Canary Mission blacklist of Palestine solidarity activists.[4]

Awad co-edited the book Palestine: A Socialist Introduction[3] with brian bean. The book was published by Haymarket Books in December 2020.[5]

On October 13, 2023, Awad appeared on NY1 to discuss the 2023 Israel–Hamas war.[3] She was present at Jewish Voice for Peace's October 27 protest at Grand Central Terminal, where she told The New York Times that she was calling on the United States government to "follow the guidance and the wants of the majority of Americans".[6]

“It’s just so astonishing that we have to be out here starving in the cold to relay the message that Palestinians deserve to live. And that Palestinians deserve to be grieved, just like any other person.”

Sumaya Awad, The Washington Post[7]

On November 27, 2023, she joined more than 20[7] other Palestine solidarity activists and state legislators in a five-day-long hunger strike outside the White House to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.[1] While most of the group joined for shorter periods of time, Awad was one of eight who did not eat for the entire five days.[7] In a press conference announcing the hunger strike, she referenced the shooting of three Palestinian American students in Vermont, saying that "This is what happens when we don’t support a permanent ceasefire and our government continues to dehumanize Palestinians".[1] She additionally emphasized the role of the United States government in supporting Israel, saying that "we are not just silent observers. We are complicit in what is happening in Palestine."[8] By the fourth day of the strike, The Washington Post reported that Awad was exhausted and experiencing severe headaches, but determined to continue with the strike.[7]

Personal life

Awad lives in New York City.[3] She has a young daughter, who spent time in a neonatal intensive care unit after birth; Awad has drawn parallels between her own daughter's experience and that of infants in the 2023 Gaza Strip preterm birth crisis.[7]

Family history

According to Awad, her grandfather's family lived in West Jerusalem before being expelled into Lebanon during the Nakba.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Mansoor, Sanya (2023-11-27). "State Lawmakers and Activists Start Hunger Strike for Ceasefire in Gaza". TIME. Archived from the original on 2023-12-22. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
  2. ↑ "OUR TEAM". Adalah Justice Project. Archived from the original on 2024-01-01. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "'Palestine: A Socialist Introduction' co-editor discusses Israel-Hamas". NY1. Archived from the original on 2024-01-01. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
  4. ↑ Awad, Sumaya; Mullen, Bill V. (2018-04-17). "Countering a Blacklist: Introducing 'Against Canary Mission'". Mondoweiss. Archived from the original on 2023-10-18. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  5. ↑ Arria, Michael (February 6, 2021). ""What binds us together is our class politics" – Palestine and the fight for socialism". Mondoweiss Podcast (Podcast). Mondoweiss. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  6. ↑ Fahy, Claire; Roberts-Grmela, Julian; Piccoli, Sean (2023-10-28). "'Let Gaza Live': Calls for Cease-Fire Fill Grand Central Terminal". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Silverman, Ellie (December 1, 2023). "Outside the White House, ravaged by hunger, protesters strike for Gaza". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  8. ↑ Harb, Ali (November 27, 2023). "US rights advocates launch hunger strike for Israel-Hamas ceasefire". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 2023-12-29. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
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