Our Students' work with AJP Action

An affiliate of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), Americans for Justice in Palestine Action (AJP Action) is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that works with members of Congress to promote legislation supporting Palestinian human rights.

The Palestine Advocacy Days are an annual event put on by AJP Action to teach students, local activists, and organizers about civic involvement and policy work that focuses solely on Palestine's problems. Ms. Nisreen Malley, AP Government teacher at PVS says, “Our community has been told on multiple occasions by congressional offices that they hear frequently from groups with differing positions and that the information brought forth in these meetings is really valuable and needed for them to not only (1) be aware of what is happening, but more importantly for them (2) to be able to take action.”

The five-day event includes in-depth advocacy training, open plenaries with members of Congress and political experts, and lobbying meetings with Representatives and Senators by activists from throughout the nation. PVS students sat through training sessions and read through their talking parts days before meeting with a senator named Steven Cohen. This was Pleasant View's second time speaking to Mr. Cohen.

The civic engagement of PVS students has been noted by Cohen's office, and he has acknowledged it on numerous occasions, including the meeting last week. That acknowledgement is a credit to the work PVS students have done to inform their elected officials about the problems facing Palestinians. The students who helped this year advocate with AJP included: Lamees Suleiman, Nia Yusuf, Sara Almoazen, Samit Ahmed, Zainab Malik, and Yasmeen Abunasrah.

“It was definitely an eye-opening meeting, it was weird being around someone who didnt have the same views as you, especially since im Palestinian, it made me want to work harder to change how my people are being treated,” one of the students spoke on her experience.