Tomorrow, in DC, the so-called Board of “Peace” will have its inaugural meeting. This meeting will bring together international financiers and heads of state to launch this sham effort, a poor mask for modern colonization. Bankrolled by billionaires, the Board of Empire will deploy a new military force to continue the occupation of Gaza, a despicable effort to subjugate those who have resisted two years of genocide. The Board of “Peace” is the embodiment of imperialism and capitalism. These plans will turn Gaza into a proving ground for a dystopian capitalist nightmare that will be exported across the globe. 

The fight for an arms embargo is not simply about disarming Israel and ending wars. Arms embargo paves the path for a new future, one where the masses of the world determine our own destiny. We demand a future where governments serve the people, not the interests of a select few. We demand Virginia take that first step and divest from the corporations who place profit over people. The VRS must divest. Join us tomorrow to challenge the Board of Empire and sign the petition at vrsdivest.org.

We are here with complete clarity that victory is inevitable. no imperial escalation will deter our struggle for liberation and return. The Board of Empire will not deliver peace. Peace demands a two way arms embargo and an end to occupation and imperialism. 

We are outside of the Institute of Peace where billionaires, dictators, and real estate developers from all over the world have gathered, eager to bleed Gaza for every drop of profit. This inaugural meeting for the Board of Empire is the mark of a new phase of imperialism. The Board allows war profiteers like Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, Jared Kushner, and the architect of Iraq’s occupation Tony Blair, direct control over Gaza. It is an attempt to suffocate any means for Palestinian self determination.
Under the false veneer of “peace” and fundraising, the Board of Empire has three plain objectives: (1) ghettoize Gaza and enslave our people into a workforce for the global elite, (2) implement a permanent military occupation of Palestine, and (3) cement global power in the hands of billionaires.
While the rulers of empire unite to salivate over real estate development plans to reshape and colonize Gaza, the masses across the world unite in our resistance to the global elite’s subjugation and endless war.

Reverend Hagler was a warrior for the Palestinian cause whose most powerful weapon was his voice. Reverend Hagler led multiple delegations of clergy members and Black Americans to Palestine to connect our struggles for liberation, before he ultimately received a lifetime ban from the entity. His commitment to the struggle never wavered, not when he was imprisoned by the racist judicial system in Boston, not when his passport was seized by the state, not when he received death threats from angry Zionists. For the DMV chapter, Reverend Hagler was a close confidant and mentor, always offering his support and guidance. Even when he lost his physical voice, he maintained his lifelong dedication to freedom through writing and his physical presence at rallies, picket lines, and wherever people could be found fighting for liberation. Reverend Hagler loved the people, and the people loved him.

We take inspiration from Reverend Hagler's words, presence, passion, and indomitable spirit. In his memory, we carry the flame of the struggle forward. May his legacy guide us to collective liberation, one in which we walk hand in hand in a Free Palestine which he so valiantly fought for. Rest in Power Reverend.

You can read Reverend Hagler's writing here: peoplesworld.org/authors/graylan-hagler/

Memorial service: March 1st, 3 pm, Plymouth Congregational UCC. In celebration of his life and witness for justice, attendees are invited to wear a kuffiyeh.

The Board of Empire is colonialism in its most shameless form.

We condemn in the strongest terms the Board of Empire, all who finance it and staff it, and all who plan to profit off the subjugation of our people and our land. There will be no peace under occupation, the Board of Empire must leave Gaza now, and Palestinians in Gaza must have their sovereignty.