Every year, the Museum of the Palestinian People community gathers to honor the vibrant arts, history, and culture of the Palestinian people. This year, we are gathering with a heavy heart given the current events in Palestine as well as the pervasive negative bias against Palestinians in the mainstream media. We invite you to join us for a night of solidarity and community.

Educating Americans about the Palestinian struggle amid the Israeli occupation is key to reclaiming our narrative as Palestinians, and is a cornerstone of the museum’s mission.

Please join us at the Patterson Mansion in Dupont Circle on November 3, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. for an evening of solidarity and community to support the Museum of the Palestinian People’s mission to elevate the Palestinian story and experience in Washington, D.C. This event is in partnership with the Tabard Inn.

We are humbled to honor Palestinian poet Mohammed Arafat, who hails from Gaza and lives in Washington, D.C., as he will join us for a reading of his poetry.

This year’s theme is “We are here.” Palestinians are here in Washington, D.C., in Palestine, and around the world. We are here to stand in solidarity with Palestinians and we are here to demand freedom, justice, and lasting peace.

We are here to stay.

Our keynote speaker is Darin J. Sallam, an award-winning Jordanian writer and director of Palestinian roots. Darin is the creator of “Farha,” a historical drama released on Netflix in 2022 that weaves the story of a Palestinian family experiencing the Nakba in 1948.

Darin’s masterful storytelling exemplifies the theme by centering the Nakba in “Farha” and bringing the Palestinian narrative to a present-day audience.

We are also excited to spotlight D.C.-area Palestinian chefs and restauranteurs RAMMY-award winner Marcelle G. Afram of Shababi Palestinian Rotisserie Chicken, Danny Dubbaneh of Z&Z Bakery, and Jinan Deena of Bayti. Marcelle, Danny, and Jinan have lifted up Palestinian cuisine in Washington, D.C. and reclaimed Palestinian culinary cultural heritage. We are looking forward to honoring their contributions to the D.C. food scene.

The host of the evening is Salma Zahr, an avid member of the Palestinian-American community, where as early as high school, she was a young community organizer in the Philadelphia chapter of New Generation for Palestine and now is a dabke instructor for her daughter’s Kids Mawtini Troupe with Palestine Foundation in Los Angeles. Salma is also the chair of her Employee Diversity Network, organizing Arab American Heritage Month events for financial services firm UBS, where she is currently Market Director for Los Angeles & Pasadena.