TULSA, Okla — Community members gathered at the John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park in support of Palestine the morning of September 20.
Many people, like Professor Nidaa Abujbara, said this topic hits close to home.
She herself is Palestinian.
“My own family, my great great-great grandparents, all have been forced to leave their hometown in Palestine in 1948," she said. "Many of them have been displaced and moved to Gaza.”
WATCH: PEACEFUL PROTEST: Tulsans take part in 'March for Humanity':
Abujbara said it was essential for her to take action peacefully, saying she wants to raise her voice in a way that won’t hurt others.
“We are here seeking peace," she said. "We are here seeking a ceasefire and reaching a deal and an agreement. Nobody likes violence, except those that are not a human or not a normal.”
She wants people to know the community is united.
“We hope that our voice reaches the people who are suffering in Gaza and they know that we are standing up here with them," she said. "We are feeling with them.”
Kay Malan said she’s originally from South Africa and moved to Oklahoma almost 20 years ago.
She echoed the same sentiment as Abujbara.
“What's happening in Gaza is extremely important, because we are witnessing the decimation of an entire group of people," she said.
Malan said protesting about issues like these is part of her constitutional rights, and she plans to use them.
“I want more and more Americans to wake up and realize what's happening, and understand that what's happening to those people over there could happen to us if we allowed it to happen," she said. "If we allowed our laws to be overturned and for people in power to do whatever they like.”
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