By Dr. Kimberly F. Monroe
From their epic losses spring the fruits of a solidarity that binds us,
Human to human,
Oppressed to oppressed
“What is Palestine to the US?” by Mumia Abu Jamal
“My sisters, you are so beautiful,” Ali Mohamed Jeddha greeted us, his words warm and grounding. He spoke of his family, his grandchildren, and why he would never leave Palestine. “It is the center of the world,” he declared, his conviction as steady as his gaze. A former political prisoner and freedom fighter, Ali welcomed us to his homeland with an openness that felt both rare and immediate, embodying the enduring spirit of the Afro-Palestinian community.
The journey to meet Ali had begun just beyond the ancient Damascus Gate of Jerusalem’s Old City. Entering through the stone gateway, I found myself amidst what initially felt like chaos but was, to the natives a well-ordered market and a place they called home. Narrow corridors bustled with shops selling everything from clothing and jewelry to cell phones, coffee, and spices, filling the air with a mix of scents and voices. This wasn’t just a market; it was a vibrant community where Muslims, Christians, Armenians, and Jews lived side by side for generations, each group contributing to the intricate life within these storied walls.
While touring the Old City of Jerusalem, Ali Mohamed Jeddha’s embracing smile and genuine curiosity about our purpose in Palestine invited us into conversation. His ease and dedication to our exchange reflected a deep sense of belonging rooted in both place and purpose. Ali’s words revealed a resilience shared by many in the Afro-Palestinian community, or Jaliyya-Al Ifriqiyya in Arabic, a small yet integral part of Jerusalem’s cultural and historical fabric.
As the African Diaspora includes the voluntary and involuntary migration of African/Black people globally, Afro-Palestinians represent the earliest manifestations of this framework.
Afro-Palestinians, numbering only about 300 to 450 in Jerusalem, carry on the legacy of African Muslims who traveled to the Middle East for centuries, bringing cultural histories from places like Chad, Sudan, Nigeria, and Senegal. The African Quarter, affectionately called “Little Harlem” within the Muslim Quarter, bears traces of these first African Migrants. Musa Qous, a member of the African Community Society, recounted on the history of the “African Corner.” Within the corridors one will find African artwork and images reflecting Black consciousness. While most Afro-Palestinians arrived during the British Mandate in the 1930s, notable African Muslims such as Mansa Musa of the Mali empire visited the Al-Aqsa Mosque centuries earlier, on their return journey and pilgrimage to Mecca, leaving a symbolic mark on this land.
In another corner of the Old City, we stumbled upon the Bassem Gallery Bookshop Café. Owned by Issam Bayan, an Afro-Palestinian, whose café is a keeper of kin, a tribute to the broader African Diaspora. Photos of Black visitors from across the Diaspora lined the walls. On the counter, I noticed the book Guardians of the Mosque, a collection of photographs capturing Afro-Palestinians in their roles as protectors of Islamic institutions. I was delighted to learn that as Guardians, they ensure that only Muslims enter the mosques on the Temple Mount.
Our exploration led us next to the Abu Jihad Museum for the Prisoners Movement Affairs at Al-Quds University. This directly connects to my research on Black political prisoners like Assata Shakur, Kamau Sadiki, and Mumia Abu Jamal. I was moved hearing the story of Fatima Bernawi, an Afro-Palestinian political prisoner whose life mirrored the struggles of Black political prisoners in the U.S. Descended from a Nigerian family and displaced by the Nakba, Bernawi was driven by her father’s revolutionary spirit to join the Fateh movement. She became one of the first women to lead an armed operation in Palestine. Fatima’s legacy lives on, inspiring freedom fighters within Palestine and across the global African Diaspora.
I was honored to sit with Mahmoud Jiddeh, another former political prisoner and freedom fighter. Before meeting him, I was told two things, if you offer him food he will not eat, and he does not sit with his back facing the door —reminders Palestinians long history of prison hunger strikes that often led to their deaths. Jiddeh participated in hunger strikes during his 17-year imprisonment for his work with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). His journey is a testament to the indomitable spirit of those who continue the Palestinian struggle for liberation.
The Black-Palestinian transnational solidarity has a deep, longstanding history. Black American revolutionary George Jackson, for instance, possessed more than 90 revolutionary texts and Palestinian literature at the time of his death, including the handwritten poem “Enemy of the Sun” by Palestinian poet Sameeh Al-Qassem. Greg Thomas, professor of English at Tufts University, curated an exhibit entitled “Enemy of the Sun” in Palestine, which links the Black American struggle to Palestinian struggle. Scholars such as Angela Davis, June Jordan, and Marc Lamont Hill continued this legacy in scholarship, linking the Black American and Palestinian struggles for liberation.
Afro-Palestinians remain active in Palestine’s resistance movement, embodying Cedric Robinson’s concept of the Black Radical Tradition, which centers cultural resilience and resistance to oppression. Their ongoing struggle is part of a larger, global movement for Black liberation that transcends borders, united by the ultimate objective of world peace based on the equitable distribution of wealth and resources.
For those seeking a deeper understanding of the African Diaspora in the Middle East, a visit to Palestine offers invaluable insight. Engaging with the Afro-Palestinian community not only reveals the depth of their struggle but also inspires a commitment to share and amplify the stories of the African Diaspora in Palestine.
Recommended Readings:
Black Power and Palestine: Transnational Countries of Color by Michael R. Fischbach
“Why Solidarity Between the Movement for Black Lives and Palestine Makes Sense” by David Palumbo-Liu
“Palestinian Engagement with the Black Freedom Movement prior to 1967”by Maha Nassar
“From the River to the Sea to Every Mountain Top: Solidarity as Worldmaking” by Robin D.G. Kelley
“Black-Palestinian Transnational Solidarity: Renewals, Returns, and Practice” by Noura Erakat and Marc Lamont Hill
“To Build a New World”: Black American Internationalism and Palestine Solidarity” by Russell Rickford.
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