In a poignant interview with Cornel West on Public Radio International's Smiley & West, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker recounts her experience aboard the flotilla of ships earlier this summer that tried to break Israel's maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip.
First, in response to a question, Walker tells West she felt her life was in danger at "practically every moment.'' Then she added that the sabotaged mission was a reminder of growing up in the segregated South.
"It reminded me a lot of being in Mississippi in the 1960s because that was a time, too, when people felt a lot of insecurity and a lot fear and had to understand deeply within themselves that love was more important to them than being afraid," she said. "I think for some of the people on the boat … this idea was very present: How much do you really love your brothers and sisters?"
What led her to become part of the flotilla? Besides growing up in the segregated South, she tabulates a list of causes, including "the fight against female genital mutilation, the fight against what is going on in the Congo now. I also support an orphanage for AIDS victims in Kenya. There is no end to where you can show up … " Walker is right. Showing up is just the beginning of supporting any cause.
Listen to more on Smiley & West.
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