A Call to Action from MECA and the ACCC

This email has updated links for MECA's call to action. Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Updated links for MECA's call to action Dear Community Members: Several people emailed us yesterday to let us know that the link to MECA's letter of appeal to MOCHA was not working. MECA has worked overtime to repair the problem and you will find better links below. Please join us in supporting MECA in their battle against censorship. Sincerely,  ACCC Staff 9/13/11 6:00 PM PST: About six hours ago, MECA experienced technical difficulties that we have never experienced before.  Three separate systems, email, donation pages, and the electronic letter to the Children's Museum, all ceased working.  WE NEED YOUR HELP!  Please circulate this copy of the appeal to your friends and go back to Sign the Letter or Make a Donation if you have experienced difficulty.  We have recreated pages and believe everything is now working correctly.  But PLEASE CONTACT US if you experience any further difficulty so that we can stay informed and determine if any of these problems were intentional.   You can reach us at (510) 548-0542/  meca@mecaforpeace.org   A Call to Action from Middle East Children’s Alliance Executive Director Barbara Lubin Dear Friends,  On Thursday, September 8, 2011, MECA received the disturbing news that the Museum of Children’s Art (MOCHA) in Oakland decided to cancel “A Child’s View From Gaza,” an exhibit of Palestinian children’s art.  After months of planning and establishing a close partnership with the museum, we were saddened to learn that the children of Gaza would be denied the opportunity to share their experiences, art, and creativity with the Bay Area community.  For 23 years, MECA has been a witness to how pro-Israel organizations can intimidate groups and individuals who try to present the reality and perspectives of Palestinians. When I asked the MOCHA’s Board President Hilmon Sorey, with whom we met on Thursday, “Who wins?” he could not provide  an answer. I said, “The museum certainly doesn’t win. MECA doesn’t win. The people of the Bay Area don’t win either. It is the children in Gaza, who have lost so much already, who lose again.” The only winners here are those who are supporters of Israeli occupation and brutality; who continue to spend millions of dollars censoring any criticism of Israel, and in this instance have succeeded to silence the voices of children who live every day under military siege and occupation. All of us at MECA understand all too well the enormous pressure that the museum came under from pro-Israel groups. But we are deeply disappointed by this decision, and I ask you to join us in expressing our concern and urging the museum to reverse its decision. Please send an email today to the Museum of Children’s Art in Oakland urging them to reconsider and support your right to see and hear the message of the children of Gaza.  Thank you. Sincerely, Barbara Lubin Executive Director Middle East Children’s Alliance  friend on Facebook | forward to a friend  Copyright © 2011 Arab Cultural & Community Center, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you signed up on our website or at one of our events. Our mailing address is: Arab Cultural & Community Center 2 Plaza Street San Francisco, California 94116 Add us to your address book  unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences