Each one of us is a story born in a bigger collective story. A story shaped by our experiences and by those who told us who we are and what to do. While the majority of us are characters in these stories (even their own), there are those who chose to become the authors of their story and that of their community; these are the catalysts who are ready to embark on the journey to building a new and better reality.
Throughout history these “authors of life ” are the ones who led themselves and others on the journeys from slavery to freedom, from occupation to liberation, from separation to oneness, from fear to love.
Some background…
I was born in the USA to Palestinian parents in 1971. My father is from a refugee family that lost their father and their home in Jerusalem in 1948 and my mother is from Gaza. I grew up in Bethlehem witnessing the brutality of the Israeli military occupation. From the age of twelve I was introduced to nonviolent resistance through the work of my uncle Mubarak Awad. When Mubarak was deported by the Israeli authorities in 1988 because of his nonviolent engagement, I started a journey to understand what is the power of nonviolence? and how can I pursue liberation, peace and justice in the Holy Land?
In 1998 I established the Holy Land Trust, an organization dedicated to strengthen the communities of the land in order to achieve peace and justice for all. A big part of my inspiration to start the organization was my grandmother, who in her loss of her husband and all their property always insisted that revenge and retention have no place in our seeking of freedom and peace.
I have been honored to be inspired and shaped by amazing teachers and experiences from around the world; from communities that are dedicated to researching what it means to live as community in true freedom and peace, to participating in rituals and ceremonies that took me to my deepest wounds and fears to heal, to being around wise men and woman who supported me, guided me, and encouraged me when I was weak.
These teachings and experiences transformed my life and continue to do so. One major realization was in seeing how many of us allow ourselves to be controlled by systems, believes, ideologies, and religions that create war and separation, motivate us by fear, disconnect us from nature, and from each other.
This is an invitation for us to co-authors the new story together…
Sami Awad 