Emailing both the ACA & CSJ, as well as note about petition donations
Dear signers, promoters, and petition sharers,
I want to thank you again for all of your support up to date! I am very appreciative of everyone who has helped by either signing, sharing or promoting this petition, as your support is what encourages me to keep this petition active.
As much as I deeply appreciate those of you who generously donated to promote this petition, in the case of us not being able to reach our goal, I would like to ask that you reserve donations for well trusted aid organizations that will eventually be able to get resources to the people of Gaza. Thank you again for your contributions!
I'm adding a new target along with the ACA. Counselors for Social Justice, or CSJ is a division of the ACA which has yet to say anything about what is happening to Palestinians in Occupied Palestine, from Gaza, to East Jerusalem and the West Bank. I am going to begin emailing them as well, and ask if you can help me in sending emails. I'm including a template below, and a few addresses you can copy and paste and send the emails to. Thank you all for your time, effort, and support!
Email addresses: edil.torresrivera@wichita.edu , bmcintyre@counseling.org , Info@counseling-csj.org
Email template: Dear Dr Rivera, Brandi Mcintyre, and members of Counselors for Social Justice,
I am emailing you to ask you to answer the demand of the circulated petition (included at the end of this email) to support a call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. The situation is beyond catastrophic. Over 20,000 Palestinians have been killed in the span of two months, of which over 8000 are children, and with many thousands of bodies still buried under the rubble. Millions have been displaced with no safe place to go, as Israeli Occupation Forces continue a campaign of indiscriminate airstrikes, as well as a ground invasion in which Palestinian civilians have been assassinated, kidnapped, and tortured, in what amounts to war crimes that violate the international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions. In addition, there is a growing famine, widespread diseases, and lack of clean water and basic necessities, due to Israel's continued siege and blockade. While the US government vetoed a UN resolution on Friday, 12/8/23, after the UN secretary General Antonio Guterres has invoked article 99, citing that the situation in Gaza threatens international peace and security, many human rights and humanitarian organizations, large worker unions, and millions of activists and people of conscience around the world from every culture, ethnicity, faith, and walk of life continue to demand a ceasefire to end what has been described as textbook genocide, or intent for genocide by experts such as Former UN Human Rights Official Craig Mokhiber, Israeli Associate Professor of Holocaust and Genocide studies Raz Segal, & Israeli Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies Omer Bartov, amongst others. Organizations such as Oxfam International, Amnesty International, and Doctors without Borders have all demanded a ceasefire, with all three having staff on the ground in Gaza who are either in immense danger, or have been killed.
In addition, unions such as the United Auto Workers, as well as the American Postal Workers Union have also issued statements supporting a ceasefire.
It is very disappointing that with everything mentioned in this correspondence, that neither the ACA or CSJ have supported a ceasefire. Mental health professionals have a deep and intimate understanding of how oppression, occupation, and war affect humans emotionally, psychologically, and physically. So how is that with a situation such as Gaza, which has been described by the UN as the most dangerous place for children to be, and where a child who is 15 years old has already lived through 5 or 6 conflicts, the ACA and CSJ have remained silent, where when the conflict in Ukraine began, the American Counseling Association not only issued a stronger statement recognizing the situation, but also provided more resources for counselors.
This is one of those moments in history where all voices matter, such as when the ACA took action during the movement to dismantle apartheid in South Africa. This is a moment that requires bravery, and the ability to speak truth to power, and stand by those who are living under oppression and occupation. When years have passed, it will be those that raised their voices during one of the worst atrocities in our modern times who will be remembered for truly defending the rights of all people to peace and security, especially the Palestinians, who have been deprived of the ability to live with self determination on their native land for over 75 years. It would be disappointing to say the least, and a betrayal to the ethics of the counseling profession, if the ACA and CSJ were to be recorded as silent bystanders in the face of an unfathomable humanitarian catastrophe unfolding before our very eyes.
I urge you to meet the call of this petition to demand a permanent ceasefire in Gaza now.
Sincerely,