“I believe that my liberation as an individual is connected to the liberation of others, and in order for me to see the world that I want to see, I have to join forces with others to make it happen.”

-Jason O. Ajiake, Advocacy and Community Outreach Coordinator, Palestinian American Community Center

Jason on who he is, what he does, and why his organization is part of the Alliance...

““I’m Jason Ozaoghena Ajiake. My role right now is Advocacy Coordinator with PACC, however, in general I consider myself a Cultural Worker based on the type of work that I do. I do it because I believe that my liberation as an individual is connected to the liberation of others, and in order for me to see the world that I want to see, I have to join forces with others to make it happen."

"For one, my dad immigrated to this country when he was 20 years old, so hearing from him growing up about his experiences and certain challenges he had adjusting to this country and how education was really pivotal for him in establishing himself helped me to understand more about the immigrant experience from a first hand level. Also, my wife and her family are Haitian. In general, I try to think about the world beyond countries and nations, so for me, working to provide more equity and support for immigrant communities is all related. It’s personal for me, and injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.””

Jason on what Black History Month means to him personally, especially as a leader in a Palestinian empowerment organization...

"I believe that Black History Month is for everybody… in the sense that you can’t talk about American history without talking about Black history. You can’t talk about world history without talking about Black history. Black History Month is for everyone, and we should strive to have more months like this, like Arab American Heritage Month to learn about different people and their contributions to this world. Beyond that, being in this space with PACC is definitely from a place of solidarity. I went to Palestine in 2018 with a group of Black activists from the United States. That was a very transformative experience for me because we were able to see the connections between our struggles as Black and Indigenous people. We could relate on so many levels, from the land, our ancestors, our culture, state repression and violence, political imprisonment. There were just so many connections. Like I said before, our freedoms are connected inherently. We’re human beings… For me, I see my work with PACC as an opportunity to express my solidarity, strengthen bonds and connections between groups, and use my background and experiences as a Black organizer in this new context.”

After an eye-opening trip to Palestine, Jason tells us about his experience and most memorable takeaways..

“I went with the delegation Diaspora Dialogues. The purpose of the trip was to be on the ground to see first hand what's going on from the perspectives of those most affected. We spent a lot of time in the West Bank learning from folks directly about their experiences, with a lot of oral history. But what really stood out to me the most was when we visited a refugee camp, and there were these two school children on their way home. They saw us and wanted to talk to us because it wasn't normal for tourists, let alone any Americans, to be in that area given that it was a refugee camp. They were saying that in school, they learned about how the United States is also under occupation, and how the Indigenous people in the United States also have a similar experience to those in Palestine because they’re also indigenous people who are fighting for land and resources. Whereas, here in the US, they wiped out the Native and Indigenous people in this land, who still exist, but it’ll never be the same. Also, they learned about Trayvon Martin, Black Lives Matter, and police injustices. For me, it was a transformative experience because these were kids living in a refugee camp who were showing how they understand my own experience. It put things into perspective for me. It allowed me to see that solidarity is a really beautiful thing when it occurs in a natural way. Before that, I was convinced that I didn’t want to work with other groups that weren’t Black. I’d only worked with Black organizations and activists before, but this opened my mind thinking about how together, the world has similar interests. It’s just that people in power have structured things in a way where only a few benefit. Overall, one thing I took away from the trip was how in-your-face the oppression is. Certain people can’t go to certain places, or they need a certain ID card that shows who you are… It was a very drastic experience, but definitely a lesson. And it’s stuck with me, because here I am working for a Palestinian American organization!”

Advice from Jason for someone looking to join the fight for Palestinian liberation...

“I think a common theme that I’ve heard in a lot of conversations is that Palestinian Americans feel like they’re left to fight for their own rights, or that there’s an emphasis on social justice while still excluding Palestine because there are “too many interests at stake” or “too much to risk” to the point people don’t really want to get involved. In general, the solution for that is destigmatizing what it is and what it’s not. Obviously, there are a lot of powerful interests at stake, we live in the United States, which is one of the strongest allies to Israel. But I think that people who say that they’re for social justice and supporting people’s movements should be willing to speak truth to power no matter what the circumstances are...””

One thing about Jason that not many people know...

“I’m really into music, so creating playlists, making beats. That’s really my world outside of this type of work. What I love about making music is what comes after the point of creating it. I just think to myself, wow, this didn’t exist before, and now it’s here because I created it. It’s always just a really good feeling. And one of my favorite processes to make it happen is flipping old records. I’ll take an old record that’s been out of play for decades and I’ll flip it- I’ll slow it down, reverse it, chop it up to where it sounds completely different, but it’s still using those recycled materials. I love doing that because to me, it’s like a connection from the past to the present. It’s a very spiritual experience.”

A book that he's reading right now is...

"One that I’m reading right now is "They Called Me a Lioness: A Palestinian Girl’s Fight for Freedom" by Ahed Tamimi and Dena Takruri. It’s about a Palestinian girl's experience in Palestine. It’s a very raw and uncut story of the state of existence there for a lot of people. It takes you through her political imprisonment, through her being a viral sensation when she was all over the world for slapping an Israeli soldier. The reason why she did it was because the soldier had just shot at her whole community and was shooting tear gas in her house. I feel like it’s a really good primer for people that are just learning about Palestine.”

Jason on who inspires him...

“At the end of the day, my ancestors inspire me. As a Black, African person, I’m very much connected with my ancestors. I believe that ancestors are still present with us, just in another world or realm- but we can still access their wisdom, knowledge, and life experiences by listening to our own voices and channeling that. I’m always trying to make my bloodline and lineage proud and push it towards the future.”

Check out PACC's organization here, and be sure to get involved with their community!