SUPPORT LOCAL PALESTINIAN COMMUNITY ORGANISER

We are putting this fundraiser on for our dear friend, and well-known Palestinian community organiser, Lana.

2 weeks ago, Lana got into a car crash and they suffered whiplash and other physical injuries, resulting in chronic pain. Lana is working as a casual disability support worker, whilst studying social work, and due to this, is not able to access sick leave or annual leave. The cost of repairing Lana's car has to come to $3000. Lana uses their car to support their clients mobility needs, and the costs of repairs are unfortunately not covered by insurance. Lana is experiencing further financial difficulty due to losing full-time employment, due to lack of transport and ongoing chronic illness. They are also waiting to hear back from the other car involved in the accident, and is unsure of the costs of that damage, but has been quoted upwards of $6000.

Anyone who knows Lana, knows that they continuously and staunchly put their community and mutual aid first. Lana is a queer Palestinian-Mauritian femme, experiencing multiple marginalizations that are deeply at play in her current situation. As a Palestinian organiser, they are putting their body on the line and constantly quietly working behind the scenes to further the movement of liberation. Lana is also constantly grieving the loss and trauma of witnessing a genocide of her people, and occupation of their lands, and surviving as a racialised person in this colony. This is thankless and unpaid work that is gendered and racialised, and Lana has never asked for anything in return. She never accepts any form of mutual aid when offered to her, but after conversations with loved ones, admits that in this situation she needs help.

For Lana to continue their vital community work, as well as their work as a disability support worker, they need our support. Mutual aid, an Indigenous way of living and being, practised for centuries by those living at the social margins, including by Palestinians in Occupied Palestine and Gaza. Mutual aid is not charity; it is about solidarity, reciprocity, care, shared humanity and redistribution of wealth and resources. It's when people work together to care for community members' needs; defying capitalism and white supremacy, and refusing to leave community members behind, when they are failed by the state.

Lana needs community support and mutual aid to not only heal and get her car fixed, but also to rest and recuperate after months of gruelling work and emotional labour. We don’t only want to cover the bare minimum costs for Lana - we want to provide some comfort and ease, while they take time off from work to recover and rest. The past 7 months have been extremely traumatising for Lana, and despite that, they continuously put other people and community first. They have given so much to people in need, it’s time the community stepped up and did the same for her. Please give whatever you can, and share with others in your networks.