Celebrities and Palestinian Artists join UNRWA USA’s Gaza 5K to help raise a historic $1M for Mental Healthcare and Urgent Assistance for Palestine Refugees
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2021
MEDIA CONTACT:
Laila Mokhiber, Director of Communications
laila@unrwausa.org
Celebrities and Palestinian Artists join UNRWA USA’s Gaza 5K to help raise a historic $1M for Mental Healthcare and Urgent Assistance for Palestine Refugees
Actor Richard Gere, Grammy nominee Vic Mensa, Palestinian artists Cherien Dabis, Saleh Bakri, Alana Hadid and anees call for support, proceeds to fund child mental health care and critical services in wake of bombing
WASHINGTON – On Saturday, June 12, 2021, 2,000 attendees, including celebrated artists and advocates, joined UNRWA USA’s Virtual Gaza 5K + Digital Festival in support of mental health services and direct emergency relief for refugees in the Gaza Strip and other parts of the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt).
This year’s event followed violence in the region that killed over 250 Palestinians in Gaza, including 66 children - 19 of whom were UNRWA students - and left thousands more without homes or access to life-saving resources. Over one million dollars was raised for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), making access to mental health care a reality for all Palestine refugee children in the Gaza Strip.
The trauma of 11 days of airstrikes by Israel -- paired with decades of occupation, instability, and the ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip -- means that access to quality mental health care is a top priority for recovery. UNRWA is the only UN agency dedicated to providing human development and humanitarian assistance to Palestine refugees across the Middle East.
Actor and humanitarian Richard Gere galvanized viewers with his passionate call for support and solidarity, stating: “I have a special place in my heart for Palestinians, but what you’re going through right now is unimaginable….let’s all of us do our best to help you.” (watch Gere’s remarks)
UNRWA leadership, Palestinian artists such as designer Alana Hadid, director Cherien Dabis, anees, and actor Saleh Bakri, among others, provided remarks during the festival, urging viewers to support UNRWA’s work for Palestine refugees, highlighting the importance of amplifying Palestinian voices, and drawing comparisons to struggles faced by oppressed people across the world.
Grammy-nominated hip hop artist and The Chi actor Vic Mensa commented, “Being from a city like Chicago where we experience a lot of violence, police presence and our own form of occupation, my time in Palestine in 2017 was incredibly eye-opening to me because I realized so many of the struggles we face are parallel to those the Palestinian people face...you have me as an ally for life.” (watch Mensa’s video message)
Since the inaugural Gaza 5K in Washington, DC in 2012, UNRWA USA has brought the 5K to New York City, San Francisco, Orange County, Houston, and Chicago, and has raised over $4 million for Palestine refugees’ mental health.
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UNRWA USA is an independent nonprofit organization that provides support for the humanitarian work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). UNRWA USA aims to educate the general American public about the situation of Palestine refugees and generate support for UNRWA’s programs. US taxpayers are eligible for tax deductions for donations made through UNRWA USA.
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