We know it's not easy speaking up at our organizations, asking leadership teams to change policy or take action. But sometimes, not saying anything is harder.
Below, we are sharing sample letters Global Development professionals have sent to their organizations - leadership teams and boards - asking for ceasefire.
This is where we are fortunate to work in an industry that is global and about making changing. Most people who have spoken up have either found that:
Their organizations have been thinking about saying something, just weren't sure what to say and are thankful for advice and support
Are told they can continue speaking up as an individual, but the organization isn't ready to organizationally say something.
By using this moment to call in our organizations - even if our organization doesn't end up issuing a call for a ceasefire -we are continuing to add strength, power and voices to the movement for global and collective liberation.
That alone is worth sending an email.
And remember we are not alone - over 1,000 USAID staff, hundreds of State Department diplomats, Congressional staffers and even White House interns have had the courage and conviction to speak up to their direct bosses.
Join us.
Dear XX,
I participated in the [Enter name of training: Decolozing Development; Doing Development Differently; JEDI Workshop, etc] that [name of organization] hosted last year.
For this session, you assured staff that we (the organization) were serious about the discussions around decolonizing development, justice, anti-racism, etc. That this training was was not lip service or wanting to do the thing that was "trendy."
I took our organization at its word and attending those workshops/trainings committed to learning. I have made concrete efforts personally to learning the learnings from these trainings.
Keeping all of that in mind, I am asking today us to speak up and issue an organizational statement demanding a permanent and immediate ceasefire in Gaza now.
It's easy to look back on a period and analyze the colonial forces at play and have theoretical conversations about what should have happened. It's great to do land acknowledgements and honor those who have been killed by genocide in the US.
Today, we have the opportunity to stop colonization as we watch it unfold live daily. We have the opportunity to stop a genocide from happening.
We have this opportunity to add our voice today to call for an end to this violence.
A few concrete things that I propose that we do:
- Issue a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire. I'd be happy to support writing a statement and sharing with leadership team for approval. I recognize that we may also need to go to the board and am
- Encourage all staff to sign this petition for and by international development professionals calling for a ceasefire now: https://bit.ly/GlobalDev4Pal.
-Have a staff meeting so we can collaboratively explore other action steps that we can take, including exploring ways for us to fight against Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.
Hi friend - I know how heavily what is happening in Gaza is sitting with you. Palestinian and other movement leaders have asked us to be creative in expanding and deepening the calls for ceasefire, including using our professional voices and professional spaces to continue to talk about Palestine. Do you want to grab coffee or have a quick call with a few of us who all feel strongly about the need for a ceasefire and talk about reaching out to leadership together to see if our organization can release a statement calling for a ceasefire (many other organizations have) and explore other actions we can take?
Dear colleagues and friends,
It's been a pleasure and such a privilege to be on a decolonizing development journey with you all over the years. I have learned so much from you all, have enjoyed deepening my analysis, learning about the world, reading some extraordinary scholarship - and most of all, collectively imagining a more just, liberated world.
In every single workshop or session I have done, the single most asked question I get is: "yes, the theory and history is great. But, what can I do? What is the next step?"
Today, we have a clear answer on what we can do to decolonize development.
Join me and hundreds of fellow global development professionals in the single most critical decolonizing moment of our lifetimes. Join me in proving that our conversations aren't just theoretical, and weren't just for our own enrichment.
Join in the call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza now by signing this petition for and by global development professionals.
Check-out additional actions and resources on our site: https://bit.ly/GlobalDev4Pal.
And commit to taking some actions today, including:
Follow us on Instagram (@GlobalDev4Palestine) and follow the global discussions calling for a Ceasefire NOW on LinkedIn.
And please - share these with your networks widely!
(And for everyone who has already signed and taken action - thank you. I see you, I appreciate you, and we stand in solidarity with you.)
In solidarity,
Dear Friends,
We are now in the third month of bombing and genocide in Gaza, and there has been an immeasurable loss of life, infrastructure, culture, and health/wellbeing, not to mention the loss of land and homes.
Please join me in signing this petition of global development and humanitarian aid professionals calling for a ceasefire, as well as committing to longer-term work for the land rights and human rights of Palestinians.
https://www.change.org/p/calling-on-globaldev-ceasefire-now
We are continuing to collect signatures and also continuing to share this petition with key leaders and power holders in the sector. Please help us get there by adding your name if you haven't already, and also sharing this with your network of global dev/ humanitarian professionals, and encouraging them to sign as well.
Many thanks,
XXXX