We, the undersigned artists living and/or working in the Lehigh Valley, are calling on our elected officials, cultural organizations, social justice nonprofits, academic institutions, and artistic communities to join us in the urgent public call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

For many of us, language is the tool we use in our work, which we must use now to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and to condemn the US-backed genocide unfolding in Occupied Palestine. We join Palestinian Youth Movement and Jewish Voice for Peace in their call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, lifting the siege on Gaza now, ending the occupation of Palestine, the freedom of Palestinian prisoners, and the end of Western complicity in Zionism. Collectively, we call for the end of over 75 years of settler colonialism, apartheid, military occupation, and forced displacement.As lovers of language, we are horrified by the rhetoric and actions of our elected officials. This begins with President Joe Biden, who proudly supports and finances the genocidal campaign of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Locally, Governor Josh Shapiro rejects calls for a ceasefire and attempts to criminalize protesters in Philadelphia who left two stickers on the window of an Israeli restaurant, Senator John Fetterman weaponizes antisemitism, publicly denies war crimes, and casually endorses Israel in front of arrested veterans calling for a ceasefire, and Congresswoman Susan Wild censures her Palestinian colleague, calls for increased military funding to Israel, and engages with an Islamophobic post online. Simultaneously, local mayors remain silent or actively prevent calls for a ceasefire. While these complicit actions occur throughout the United States, the Israeli military continues to commit mass atrocities against Palestinians – aggressively targeting hospitals and schools, murdering artists and their families, killing an unprecedented number of journalists, and destroying archives, grave sites, cultural centers, and sacred religious sites.Their complicity in this indefensible violence goes beyond their rhetoric. Our elected officials, in the three major cities in the Lehigh Valley, collectively send an estimated $3,114,155 of their constituents tax money annually to arm Israel. These funds should be used to care for their constituents who struggle with basic needs, such as affordable housing and food. It is fiscally irresponsible (and immoral) to fund a genocide and leave their constituents’ needs unmet. This money should be utilized to support the health and safety of our local community, rather than the destruction of humanity. If kept within the community, this money could provide an estimated:

• 368 Households with public housing for a year
• 1,082 Children receiving free or low-cost healthcare
• 33 Elementary School teachers
• 8,864 Households with solar electricity for a year
• 80 Students with their loan debt canceled
• 2,707,959 N95 respirator masks

The call for an immediate ceasefire is incumbent upon all of us. Therefore, we call upon Mayor Matthew Tuerk, Mayor Salvatore J. Panto, Jr., and Mayor J. William Reynolds, along with all of our city council members, to stand with their constituents and release public resolutions calling for a “permanent ceasefire”. We cannot allow silence to manufacture our community’s consent in this genocide.Until they do so, we, the undersigned artists, will withhold our voting power in favor of any mayor and city council member who fails to support these resolutions. Come November, we will remember the names of those who prioritized their personal agenda and blatantly chose silence in exchange for the bloodshed of Palestinians.We unequivocally stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Until Palestine is free, until we all are free, this is where our focus is, and will be.

Signatories:

Jacque Irizarry, Ophelia Le Fay, Josy Irizarry, Drew Swedberg, J. Anderson, Sasha, Robin Gow, Maura Finkelstein, Rain Black, Mal Campbell, Kylee Tirado, Herb Shellenberger, Cherishe Ferguson, Bree Booth, Sabrina, Jennie Ludi, Syd, Nicole Renz, Miles Asher, Dorai-Raj, Rhea Pitt, Ari Ismail, Staci, Rei Ukon, Anaya Battle, Chloe Cole, Angel, Florence-Susanne Reppert, Krissi Echevarria, Jessica Maamari, Masae Hori, Tiffany Barber, Zuleydi Walker, Amir, Aishwarya Vuppala, Sandy Tang, Adriana Santos, Daniel Brody, Evangeline Budihas, Jillian McLuhan, Hannah, Khalid Taylor, Meaghan Lawlor, Alexis Stansfield, Erika Salus, Nazrin H, Marianne Fernandez, Lauren Gilmore, Bun Shamsidin, Olivia Brooks, Sky Bela, Chloe L., Brittany Benware, Hannah Sodl, Shelby Carr, Emily Snyder, Joshua Nsubuga, Reem Shadid, Fauzia Nouristani, Jamie Groller, Molly M, Gabby Hochfeld, Zayna Shadid Chloe Lane Zweifel, Aster, Emily Ascani, Destiny Bonilla, Leny, Mateo Pérez, Alexis Garcia, Shaun Leisher, Solange Garcia, Lori FitzPatrick, Aly Duffin, Sonja Hewitt, Magdalena Mateo, Kaila Thistle-Snyder, JC, Mubashar Mughal, Shalah Ramadan, Zachary Koehler, Fazia Khan, Atira, Khadijah Beig, Mohammed Assisou, Regina Padilla, Omar Abdelzaher, Afiwa Afandalo, Kate J, MA, Jessica Carr, Nandini Sikand, Wesley Yanes, Fatimah Fair, RV, Devon Walker, Elliot Park, Julianna D, J. Silva, Isaac Weston, Nicole Guglielmi, Mendy Jim, Viviana, Jessica Mitchell, Christina Check, Rebecca Simmons, Anjini Patel, Mohammed Khaku, Alex Fischer, Kaitlyn Ertle, Aamir Sheikh, Shamsuddin Shaik, Naomi Fossa, Logan Scheier, Allison Mickel, Kiirstin Rutabaga, Ronald Byron Johnson, Kendall P., Charlyann Acosta, Dannielle Waugh, Shalah Ramadan, Mohammed Khalilur Rahman, R Katz, Harry Faber, Maggie Avolio, Kelsey Fisher, Morgan Hazelton-Tarango, Aven Lancaster, Kelsi Nightwalker, Clara McAuley, Caitlyn Hall, 冀卓疌, Cate Monaco, Amira Mahmoud, Samantha Kielar, Amera Charni, Gazal Jabir, Julia D, Gabriel Elsheakh, Caden Della Penta, Matteo Montero-Murillo, Katie Della Terza, Kayla Simon, Yumaira Saavedra, Paulette Coma, Reem Barakat, Isaac Weston, Chloe Norvell, Y Lam, Courteney Parry, Nasheeta Yeamin, Sheri Nixon, Liz Rainey, Meghana Nimmagadda, Jonathan Demis, Lizzie Hayes, John Furphy, Lexi, Gabrielle McCabe, Willow Liane