Apartheid-Free Western Massachusetts (AFWMA)  

We are a coalition of community groups, businesses, faith organizations and individuals in Western MA working to end Israel's apartheid regime. We engage, educate, and mobilize our communities from the premise that all people are equal and should be treated with dignity and respect. 

Connecting with people in this way, challenges racism and discrimination in the way we think, and the way we behave, thereby creating safety and inclusiveness. We undermine the roots of interlocking systems of oppression with the Apartheid-Free pledge at the heart of our movement. AFWMA seeks to address harm and exploitation of the Palestinian people and ALL people, through one-on-one conversations, public educational events and mobilizing town residents; to unite as a community to end discrimination and apartheid wherever and however it manifests.

Our Roots: Apartheid-Free Communities Coalition 

The Apartheid-Free Communities coalition is convened by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and has a leadership team comprised of leaders from our various affinity groups.

The Apartheid-Free network urges communities to publicly pledge opposition to all forms of racism, hate, and discrimination, including Islamophobia, antisemitism, and xenophobia within our own spheres. Network members seek to understand and educate others about how Palestinian rights are violated under military rule, settler colonialism, and apartheid, and how these realities intersect with racism and forms of discrimination related to Israel in the U.S.A.

Inspired by the movement that dismantled apartheid in South Africa, the coalition launched a new anti-apartheid initiative in 2022, and called on faith groups, secular organizations, and all advocates for justice, regardless of identity, to end all support for Israeli apartheid, occupation, and settler colonialism.

Fulfilling the Pledge Through Action:

Fulfilling the pledge involves a journey of ongoing discernment and action tailored to the specific context of the community. This can manifest in various ways: 

Education: Learning about the realities of the situation on the ground through resources provided by human rights organizations like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Kairos Palestine and educating others through film screenings, workshops, and events that center indigenous voices.

Divestment: Ensuring the community's investments, procurement, or product sales do not fund or profit from companies complicit in human rights violations, in the occupied territories, in line with the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement principles.

Public Witness: Publicizing their commitment through press releases, social media, or physical posters to build a culture of solidarity and encourage other groups to join the movement.

Ethical Travel: Organizing educational delegations to Palestine for firsthand encounters with the on-the-ground realities Palestinians face, following ethical travel guidelines. 

Partnerships with Like-Minded Organizations 

Traprock Center for Peace and Justice: https://www.traprock.org/ 

Western MA Coalition for Palestine: https://www.westernmacoalition4palestine.org/about/shared-principles/ 

Vermont Coalition for Palestine: https://www.vermontcpl.org/ 

No Appetite for Apartheid: https://na4a.org/