The story that never gets told...

We often hear: There are two sides to every story.

Yet when we deal with systemic oppression, one story is often intentionally untold. 

It’s purposefully kept from being heard.

Palestine and Israel have been in conflict for years and years. However, it’s only now that Palestine’s story is getting some awareness in the media. That the apartheid and ethnic cleansing is beginning to be acknowledged.

Israel’s narrative has been elevated by powerful colonizing nations, while Palestine's story has intentionally been kept away.

Language holds power in shaping the narrative being told and heard.

It’s important to recognize the danger of a single story. If you only listen to Israel, you fail to recognize the violence done to the Palestinians.

As marginalized beings our stories are often untold, even erased. We often only hear the privileged side. The story that “we’re all equal”, “Noooo, that was not racist/sexist/ableist”.

It’s crucial to realize how this shows up in our personal lives. The ways we might be gaslighted by people to feel like we’re exaggerating when we experience oppression. That let us believe to stay quiet.

A single narrative silences voices. Single stories conceal information.

They hurt justice and they propel oppression. Know the danger of a single story. Look for the story that is not being told.

Keep listening to the voice that is being kept away within you and others.

XO

Nora

PS. If you have not yet watched, check out Chimamanda Adichie’ TED Talk, “The Danger of a Single Story.”