PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The mayor’s office has taken steps to reduce its involvement with the previously recognized Palestinian Day of Solidarity. That didn’t stop nearly 100 people from gathering in support for a third consecutive year.
Pride is something Jude Husein says he feels every day as a Palestinian Philadelphian. On the city’s Palestinian Day of Solidarity, she was proud of not just her own community but all those who joined them on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
“It’s not just for Palestinians. It’s for our Black and brown communities. It’s for immigrants. It’s for all people within the city of Philadelphia,” Husein said.
The low temperature and unrelenting wind of Wednesday morning was right in line with the cold shoulder organizers of the event got from city leadership.
The city provided logistical support and issued a proclamation recognizing the day but, citing the Israel-Hamas war, which has claimed the lives of more than 14,000 Palestinian civilians, the city minimized its involvement and moved the event from the Municipal Services Building to the Art Museum.
As he stood on those steps to show his support, Andres Celin couldn’t help but be impressed by the community he saw gathered around him.
“What we see today is a representation of the resilience and the tenacity, and the solidarity of folks that are Palestinian in Philadelphia,” Celin said.
That resilience comes in the face of waning support from city leaders. After having its first officially recognized Palestinian Day of Solidarity in 2021, the city pulled way back this year.
When reached by KYW for comment, the mayor’s office said that given the current climate, prominent participation by the city would distract from the true meaning of the event, which it defined as a day for Philadelphia’s Palestinian community to have an equal opportunity to celebrate their heritage.
Husein said the message sent by pulling back was “dangerous.”
“It states that you’re able to alienate a community and allow them to be targets,” she said, adding what they want is their day at City Hall.
“We’re aiming to have a flag-raising in City Hall and really to uplift and empower our Arab communities, our immigrant communities, and so that’s what we’re hoping for, and we’re gonna get it.”