Rising for Our Motherlands

From the Sea | EP 7

Today, on Nakba Day, we’re honored to share a very special interview with you. Nakba Day commemorates the mass displacement of Palestinians that began on May 15, 1948. “Nakba,” the Arabic word for “catastrophe,” refers to the forced expulsion of more than 750,000 Palestinians and the destruction and depopulation of over 500 Palestinian villages, towns, and cities by Zionist militias and, later, the Israeli army. In this episode, Maisa co-hosts with We Rise apprentice Hannah in an interview with Saif Abu Keshek a member of the steering committee for the Global Sumud Flotilla. This interview was recorded at the International People's Tribunal on Palestine in Barcelona, where the People's Tribunal charged the settler colonial state of Israel of genocide and ecocide in November 2025 [https://internationalsolidarity.org/international-peoples-tribunal-on-palestine-to-convene-in-barcelona-charging-genocide-and-ecocide/]. Together, we discuss how people's tribunals can serve as both a tool and strategy in the Palestine Liberation movement. We also speak about the central role of Palestinian political prisoners in the struggle for liberation. Political prisoners are not only symbols of resistance — they are our compass, grounding the movement in steadfastness, sacrifice, and collective responsibility. Earlier this year, on April 30, Saif — a Spanish national of Palestinian origin — and Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila were abducted while sailing alongside dozens of activists as part of the latest humanitarian mission organized by the Global Sumud Flotilla. Saif and Thiago were imprisoned in Israel for 10 days under brutal conditions, where they endured torture and took part in a hunger strike. The Global Sumud Flotilla continues to sale to break the siege on Gaza. https://globalsumudflotilla.org/ GlobalSumudFlotilla.org [https://globalsumudflotilla.org/] @GlobalSumudFlotilla [https://www.instagram.com/globalsumudflotilla/] We Rise will be releasing exclusive interviews with the People's Tribunal organizers and people who shared live testimony in Barcelona, stay tuned in to We Rise Production for episode release.  InternationalSolidarity.org/tribunal [https://internationalsolidarity.org/tribunal/] @InternationalPeoplesFront [https://www.instagram.com/internationalpeoplesfront/] This episode features music by DAM, Abu Arab, Ahmad Kaabour and sounds from the the International People's Tribunal on Palestine in Barcelona. A huge thank you to Salma Taleb, Hesham Jarmakani, Francesca Juico, Chris Wanis, and Carmelo Ibanez for our beautiful theme music and to our co-conspirator & We Rise producer Cat Petru for weaving our voices and songs together. Podcast art created by nicole gervacio.

Even In Our Dreams, Part 1 | EP 6

In this episode, we dive into a powerful conversation about what it means to live in diaspora. As people whose homelands are shaped by ongoing struggle and displacement, we reflect on how living away from our ancestral lands informs our identities, relationships, and sense of belonging. Lubna & Tina illuminate our histories of migration and displacement from Falasteen & the islands known as The Philippines. They share how these legacies of displacement continue to shape their communities in the diaspora today. Lubna Morrar is poet, hairstylist and makeup artist. She is a Palestinian community organizer and activist from the Bay Area. Tina Shuaf-Bahar is a Filipino community organizing, singer and culture worker who has long been involved in migrant rights organizing, connecting struggles in her homeland to those faced by workers in the Bay Area. Together we explore how re-membering our languages, food and cultural practices are antidotes to resist pressures like assimilation and generational separation from our lands. We also reflect on how embodying dignity becomes a powerful act of resistance and resilience. Special thanks to Kendall of We Rise and KPFA for hosting us as we recorded our conversation Music from El Fanoun, Mass Bass, Ruby Ibarra, Ana Tijoux featuring Shadia Mansour & Nitty Scott A huge thank you to Salma Taleb, Hesham Jarmakani, Francesca Juico, Chris Wanis, and Carmelo Ibanez for our beautiful theme music and to our co-conspirator & We Rise producer Cat Petru for weaving our voices and songs together. Podcast art created by nicole gervacio.

Walking with Sumud: An Oakland Palestine Mural Tour | EP 5

In this episode of Rising For Our Motherlands, we take listeners on a guided tour of two of Oakland’s most powerful and politically significant murals: the Oakland to Palestine Solidarity Mural (completed in 2014) and the SUMUD: Resistance Until Liberation Mural at Uptown Body and Fender (completed in 2024). Oakland to Palestine Solidarity Mural In the first part of the episode, we walk listeners through the Oakland to Palestine Solidarity Mural, a monumental public artwork that centers the image of the tree as a global symbol of life, resilience, and resistance. Spanning 157 feet wide and 22 feet tall, the mural is composed of nine individual panels, each painted by a different artist or collective. Through distinct interpretations of the tree motif, the mural draws connections between shared histories of colonization, environmental exploitation, the internal exile of Indigenous peoples, and ongoing struggles for justice. Together, these panels form a stunning public tribute to the human spirit and its unassailable right to thrive in the face of political oppression and injustice—wherever it occurs in the world. SUMUD: Resistance Until Liberation Mural Later in the episode, we are joined by Yasmeen, a Bay Area community member involved in the SUMUD mural project, and Al Juthoor, a local Bay Area Dabke group. Yasmeen shares insights into the production process, artistic vision, and political motivations behind the mural. The SUMUD: Resistance Until Liberation Mural is a collaborative project between artists and activists in the U.S. and Palestine. It explores and confronts the deep interconnections between systems of incarceration, colonization, and repression in both places, while affirming the vitality of the Palestinian Liberation Movement. The mural serves both as a memorial to this historical moment and as a living expression of collective struggle—locally and globally. In both the U.S. and Palestine, art is often a political act. This mural stands as a testament to the imagination, brilliance, and creativity of resistance, even under conditions of imprisonment and occupation. As Zionist forces enact ongoing death and destruction in Gaza and Palestine, creating this mural together as a community affirms a shared commitment to resistance, solidarity, and liberation. Sumud is an Arabic word meaning the steadfast will to survive, endure, and remain connected to the land. Featured music & audio clips in this episode: Mohammed Assaf, voices of Emory Douglas, Keven Cooper and Um Eyad, various national & international news segments, and chants from students, local Bay Area activists, and organizers. Graphic includes a portrait of Um Eyad by Art Forces lead artist Susan Greene, in collaboration with Peps 357 (Spoon) and Asha Sudra (Kufiyeh). Learn more: Oakland to Palestine Mural: https://artforces.org/projects/murals/usa/oakland-palestine-solidarity-mural/ [https://artforces.org/projects/murals/usa/oakland-palestine-solidarity-mural/] Sumud Mural: SumudMuralOakland.org [https://www.sumudmuraloakland.org/] A huge thank you to Salma Taleb, Hesham Jarmakani, Francesca Juico, Chris Wanis, and Carmelo Ibanez for our beautiful theme music and to our co-conspirator & We Rise producer Cat Petru for weaving our voices and songs together. Podcast art created by nicole gervacio.

We're Ganna Paint About Our Victories | EP 4

What does it mean to be an artist for the people? In this episode of Rising for Our Motherlands, we talk with muralists and cultural workers Cece Carpio and Chris “C” Gazaleh about making art in movement spaces — from the Philippines and Palestine to the murals that filled downtown Oakland after the George Floyd uprisings. Cece Carpio uses acrylic, ink, aerosol, and installations to tell stories of immigration, ancestry, resistance, and resilience. Her bold portraits blend folkloric forms with urban art techniques, honoring everyday people and their thriving presence. Cece has created and exhibited work across the world and currently serves as Galleries Manager for the San Francisco Arts Commission and Public Art Advisor for the City of Oakland. More: CeceCarpio.com | @CeceCarpio Chris “C” Gazaleh is a San Francisco–born visual artist, musician, writer, organizer, and educator whose work uplifts Palestinian history, culture, and the struggle for freedom. Rooted in hip hop and graffiti, he developed his style early on and deepened his connection to his heritage while learning Arabic in Detroit. After returning home, he joined General Union of Palestine Students (GUPS) at San Francisco State University, helped create the Edward Said mural, and began painting murals throughout the community, working with youth to spread knowledge, love, and cultural pride. More: CGazaleh.com | @CGazaleh Together, we explore how art becomes a language for our families, nurtures collaboration, and uplifts community voices — and what it means to create under capitalist and imperialist systems. Special thanks to Women’s Audio Mission and DJ Ari for hosting the recording of this episode. Featuring Music by Excentrik & Chris Gazaleh, Ruby Ibarra, Abe Batshon, Kimmortal, Public Enemy, Anderson Paak, & Gingee A huge thank you to Salma Taleb, Hesham Jarmakani, Francesca Juico, Chris Wanis, and Carmelo Ibanez for our beautiful theme music and to our co-conspirator & We Rise producer Cat Petru for weaving our voices and songs together. Podcast art created by nicole gervacio.

This is the Land: Remagination Farm | EP 3

In this episode, we traveled north to Remagination Farm on Eastern Pomo and Lake Miwok land—also known as Kelseyville, CA—ancestral homelands of the Pomo people. There, we had the profound honor of sitting with Dr. Robyn Magalit Rodriguez, whose life and work reflect a deeply powerful and life-altering return to the land. For so many of us rooted in homeland struggles, this return is a dream—an act of reclaiming, remembering, and embodying freedom. Dr. Rodriguez has done exactly that. After more than two decades as a professor of Asian American Studies at UC Davis, and following the devastating loss of her son, Amado Khaya, she made the courageous decision to transform her life’s path. Her journey led her to establish Remagination Farm, where she is building a living practice of regenerative agriculture, ritual, spirituality, and ethical relationships to land and community. Drawing from her extensive background as a researcher, educator, and long-time community organizer, Dr. Rodriguez shares how she listens to ancestral callings, how she understands land stewardship as a liberatory practice, and how returning to the earth can be a site of both grief and rebirth. She also discusses her founding of Remagination Lab, home of the School for Liberating Education (SLE), and the Amado Khaya Initiative (AKI)—projects devoted to radical learning, community nourishment, and honoring her son’s legacy. In this conversation, Robyn offers a model of what it means to truly realign one’s life with purpose, lineage, and liberation. She is actively manifesting the world we are fighting for. This episode features music from Amado Khaya’s memorial – listen here at Amado Khaya Memorial Tribute Soundtrack – [https://soundcloud.com/amadokhaya/sets/memorial-tribute-soundtrack] and some of the following music: A Day Will Come by Desirée Dawson, Dal3ona el zaytoun دلعونا الزيتون - دلال أبو آمنة Dalal Abu Amneh [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqpKYp0vQf4], our kasama Sam singing The Eyes the Flight The Slow Gestures - performed live at We Rise's Crosspollination: Roots Of Justice (We Rise podcast episode 54) [https://open.spotify.com/episode/4F7b0mIZ5qcep94cMEUvC7?si=e4d1572a2b264f7d], and ends with a reading of A Comrade is as Precious as a Rice Seedling – a poem by Filipina revolutionary Mila D. Aguilar. Learn more: ReimaginationFarm.org [https://ReimaginationFarm.org] A huge thank you to Salma Taleb, Hesham Jarmakani, Francesca Juico, Chris Wanis, and Carmelo Ibanez for our beautiful theme music and to our co-conspirator & We Rise producer Cat Petru for weaving our voices and songs together. Podcast art created by nicole gervacio.