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Why we record
Post date
February 4, 2026 4:43pm
WHY WE RECORD: Defying Fragmentation and Erasure in Palestine
An exhibit curated by the American Friends Service Committee and Visualizing Palestine
Northfielders for Justice in Palestine/Israel is thrilled to be able to make this exhibit available to other organizations and individuals who are interested in displaying the exhibit. The curators of this exhibit say:
On October 25, 2023, Egyptian-Canadian journalist and writer Omar El Akkad wrote about the growing genocide in Gaza: “One day, when it's safe, when there's no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it's too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this.”
The truth of this statement, proven countless times throughout history, is only possible because of those who "record for future generations to tell them this is what truly happened," as Asmaa Abu Mezeid writes in Light in Gaza: Writings Born of Fire.
Details of the exhibit are below. NJP/I has printed the exhibit in all three sizes (38 visuals, 25 visuals and 15 visuals).
The Selected Works exhibit is currently on display in the Auditorium at Carondelet Center in St. Paul through January. Details of that exhibit and associated programming are below.
Please contact Jenny Hartley at jdhartley1@aol.com if you are interested in displaying the exhibit – or if you want more details about the exhibit.
ABOUT THE EXHIBIT:
While the world’s attention has turned to Gaza since October 2023, the struggle did not begin then and is not limited to Gaza. Palestinians across historic Palestine have endured a century of displacement, fragmentation, erasure, and now genocide.
As writer Omar El Akkad observes, “One day, when it’s safe… everyone will have always been against this.” Palestinians have long recorded their reality so future generations would know what truly happened, through art, writing, photography, storytelling, and personal archives.
Why We Record honors the artists, journalists, poets, and storytellers who continue to bear witness in the face of erasure.
Resource: Why We Record
FORMAT OF THE EXHIBIT:
The exhibit is curated in three different sizes to accommodate different locations, budgets, and capacities of local hosts.
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Full Archive: a pack of 38 visuals, photos and stories
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Selected Works: a pack of 25 visuals, photos and stories
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Essentials: a pack of 15 visuals, photos and stories
All versions of the exhibit will cover three themes:
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Displacement: The 1947–1948 ethnic cleansing plan and the Nakba
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Forced fragmentation through occupation, apartheid, and genocide
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Hope, return and future visioning
Please note
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The panels for the exhibit are large – ranging in size from 11x17 to 36x20.
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The panels can be displayed by using contact strips to the wall or by placing on easels.
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RESOURCES:
Why We Record – Downloadable Exhibit at Visualizing Palestine
Video of the Full Exhibit at the Museum of the Palestinian People in Washington, DC
Full Archive
A slideshow of the visuals in the Full Archive Exhibit
The Exhibit Guide for the Full Archive
Selected Works
A slideshow of the visuals in the Selected Works Exhibit
The Exhibit Guide for the Selected Works
Essentials
A slideshow of the visuals in the Essentials Exhibit
The Exhibit Guide for the Essentials
PROGRAMMING AT CARONDELET CENTER
Presented by the UCC Movement for Palestine Solidarity and the Justice Seekers of Carondelet Village, Why We Record will be on display in the Carondelet Village Chappel during the month of January 2026. Associated programming follows.
Wednesday, January 14 – 10:30am – Carondelet Village Auditorium
“What is Christian Nationalism Anyway?”
with Pastor Bart Roush of Oak Grove Presbyterian Church.
Wednesday, January 14 -- 3:30pm – Carondelet Village Chapel
Prayers for Peace in Palestine
Wednesday, January 21 – 10:00 am – Carondelet Village Auditorium
“Liberation and Peace for Palestine: What Does Solidarity Look Like?”
with Fred Rogers of the UCC Movement for Palestine Solidarity.
Tuesday, January 27 – 3:30pm – Carondelet Village Theater
“No Other Land” -- Discussion to follow
2025 Academy Award-winning documentary made by a Palestinian and an Israeli film maker.
TBD -- “We Refuse To Be Enemies.”
The story of Tent of Nations and the faithful resistance of a Palestinian family to live peacefully with their neighbors on their 100-year-old family farm near Bethlehem. (date and time to be announced)
Ministry