Striking for Palestine as Small Business Owners
Being in solidarity is a commitment to a collective risk. At SHIFT we are in support of Palestine and call for an immediate ceasefire.
As a small business that is navigating both the silence coming from our industry about the genocide happening in Palestine and the day-to-day hustle of having a business, we are called in and reminded of the myriad of powerful ways for us to be in solidarity with Bisan's strike for Palestine this week of Jan 21- 28th. It’s an opportunity for us to lean into multiplicity and practice of resistance, disruption, and hope as a lifestyle. We want to uplift the ways we can all support this strike and stay resilient in this movement:
Support the BDS Movement:
The BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement is a nonviolent initiative aimed at pressuring Israel to comply with international law and respect Palestinian rights.
Researching companies and products to ensure they are not associated with Israeli settlements
Boycotting products and companies that contribute to the oppression of Palestinians
Encouraging local businesses and institutions to divest from entities that support the occupation
Ex: We formerly had our website designed through WIX, but changed to SquareSpace about a year ago after a former colleague asked us to be in better alignment with the BDS movement.
Financial Solidarity:
Refrain from financial transactions during the strike period. Small business owners can demonstrate financial solidarity by:
Temporarily hold business expenses
Halt/withdraw investments or divest from companies that you know are in support of or fund the state of Israel
Reassess investments or any platforms you use to ensure they do not inadvertently support entities involved in the oppression of Palestinians
Donating a percentage of profits to organizations supporting the Palestinian cause if able
Close business for as many days as is feasible for your business
For SHIFT: Actively choosing to not spend or move any money in our accounts this week.
Social Media Platforms
Harness the power of social media on personal and business accounts to raise awareness and mobilize support:
Share informative posts, articles, and graphics about the strike and the Palestinian struggle
Utilize relevant hashtags to increase the visibility of your posts
Engage with influencers, organizations, and activists who support the cause to amplify the message - especially uplifting Palestinian voices
Engage with followers and other businesses to create a network of support
Withhold from posting personal stories and only post about Palestine that week
For SHIFT: This blog post, is to be clear about our stance and participation. Lifting up the organizers, journalists, and communities organizing this week.
Conversations & Communication:
Leverage your relationship as a worker, friend, constitute, family member, etc to keep the strike top of conversation:
Initiate discussions with employees to understand their perspectives and experiences
Host events or workshops to educate both employees and customers about the issues surrounding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict
Establish partnerships with local organizations or charities working towards justice and equality
Encourage employees and customers/clients to share their thoughts and experiences related to the cause
Put away messages indicating your support for the strike, and that if you can’t refrain from working - that you still bring attention to anyone emailing you to pay attention to the strike - and add resources to that away message
Keep calling/emailing your political representatives to demand a ceasefire
For SHIFT: we will change our away messages to inform people we are in support of the strike and to bring awareness of what is going on - as many conduct business as normal.
We will support and continue following what the movement needs, feel strongly that as JDEI practitioners we are loud and clear about how this affects us all, and that our liberation is bound with each other. We ask that folks listen to the daily actions listed from the Palestinian Diaspora Movement as noted here - and we do what we can where we can! - a rising tide is possible!
Shoutout to the orgs and individuals who’s resources inspired us to write this:
https://bdsmovement.net/what-is-bds
