Palestinian journalist and author Mohammed Omer has been documenting the realities faced by people and communities in Gaza for over a decade. In November and December AFSC hosted a tour to several US cities where Mohammed spoke about conditions in Gaza and the impact of the ten-year blockade. He also visited sites of AFSC’s work to end US based oppression on the border in San Diego, in Ferguson, MO, and at US private prisons in Arizona and was able to make connections with the occupation and oppression in Palestine.

This story is part of the "Let Your Life Speak" 2017 feature. Read the other stories from the project here.

Activism in pushing for change while challenging U.S. policy will become even more urgent in the coming year. 

This is a year of anniversaries for Israel and Palestine. It marks 100 years since the signing of the Balfour Declaration, which signaled British agreement to the formation of a Jewish state in historic Palestine. It also marks the 70th anniversary of the 1947 U.N. Partition resolution and the start of the fighting in historic Palestine that culminated in the 1948 war. And June will mark 50 years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.

In his final days in office, President Obama granted commutation to hundreds of federal prisoners, including Puerto Rican political prisoner Oscar López Rivera and army whistleblower Chelsea Manning. Meanwhile, people across the country are mobilizing to mark inauguration day with protests and community events. Here's what we're reading to learn more.

An interview with Arnie Alpert, co-director, AFSC New Hampshire program

Arnie Alpert has coordinated AFSC’s work in New Hampshire for over 30 years. In that time, he helped lead a decade-long campaign to make Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday a state holiday. We asked Arnie for his thoughts on how King’s words and actions resonate in struggles for justice today.

Q: King is considered the most important leader in the Civil Rights Movement, but you’ve written about the limits of this characterization.

This week, confirmation hearings began for President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet nominees. The hearings were met with protests both on and off the Senate floor. Here's what we're reading to learn more.

The Donald Trump cabinet tracker by Russell Berman via The Atlantic