By: Yashita Dhillon, News Writer
In March, the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) voted in support of a motion to lobby the provincial government to include the Nakba in the BC curriculum. This was a result of the advocacy work of Parents for Palestine YVR, a grassroots collective representing parents and families from various backgrounds and faiths advocating for a ceasefire and end to the siege in Gaza. The Peak spoke to Sama Ghnaim, a Palestinian mother and co-founder of Parents for Palestine alongside Tara Ehrcke, an educator of Jewish descent, who are leading this advocacy.
The Nakba, which translates to “catastrophe” in Arabic, describes the events from 1947–1949, during which over 700,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced by Israeli militias amid the establishment of Israel.
“My family lived it.” Ghnaim said. “My own grandfathers were displaced in 1948, and they ended up as refugees in Jordan. And so, to me, it’s not just history you read about in books,” she added. “It’s actually lived history, it’s lived experience.”
Ehrcke explained, “Being of Jewish descent, I feel a sense of responsibility because many of the ways in which I think members of the Palestinian community have been harmed have often been done in the name of Jewish safety.”
“I think, as a Palestinian first, and then as a mother, second, and as an educator, third, it is so important to learn about history in order for us to be able to move forward,” Ghnaim said. “We have generations of Palestinians that we are raising, and for us to have any sort of idea of what social justice looks like, or what advocacy looks like, or what equity looks like, you need to actually understand the history in order to be able to move forward and actually drive real change in the world.”
When approaching these topics to schools, Ghnaim received “feedback that was very clear,” which was that schools were “not equipped to handle anything that has to do with Palestine.” She added, “And do you know what that told me as a parent? It told me that history is repeating itself.”
“To me, it’s not just history you read about in books,” she added. “It’s actually lived history, it’s lived experience.” — Sama Ghnaim, Parents for Palestine
Despite these obstacles, Ehrcke and Ghnaim remain hopeful about the impact of their work. They argue that by altering the educational blueprint to include comprehensive discussions of the Nakba, future generations of students will be better equipped to understand and engage with the world’s historical complexities.
“We can start the change. We may not see the change come to fruition during our generation’s time, but I feel like including the Nakba in the curriculum is going to help our children learn their history in school side-by-side with all of their colleagues, and all of the students that’s going to affirm and validate how they feel and validate their cause,” stated Ghnaim.
Ehrke and Ghnaim aim to ensure the Nakba is recognized not just as Palestinian history, but as a part of human history that deserves a place in educational narratives globally. “A lot of Palestinian history has been silenced, omitted. And the current moment is an opportunity for us to change that,” Ehrcke said.
Reflecting on the global solidarity expressed towards Palestinian struggles, Ghnaim added, “There is a chant that we say in every protest that says, ‘in our millions, in our billions, we are all Palestinian.’”
