Medea Benjamin is setting sail on the U.S. flagged ship called The Audacity of Hope to join the 2nd Freedom Flotilla to Gaza and participate in an international effort to break the blockade of Gaza and end the occupation of Palestine.

Read Medea's piece below as she draws inspiration from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to explain the importance of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla.

Watch this short video to learn more and find out how you can get involved.

Be sure to stay connected with Global Exchange as we continue to update you on new developments with the Gaza Freedom Flotilla and various ways for you to get involved.

Setting Sail for Gaza, Armed with Love Letters and a Missive from Dr. King

“I refuse to accept the idea that man is mere flotsam and jetsam in the river of life, unable to influence the unfolding events which surround him,” said Dr. Martin Luther King as he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. These words will guide me and other passengers aboard the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, a fleet of nine boats scheduled to set sail for Gaza on June 25 from various Mediterranean ports. While the Israelis try to label us provocateurs, terrorists and Hamas supporters, we are simply nonviolent advocates following the teachings of Dr. King. We refuse to sit at the docks of history and watch the people of Gaza suffer.

The U.S. boat, which will carry 50 Americans, is called The Audacity of Hope. It is named after Obama’s bestselling political autobiography in which he lauds our collective audacity of striving to become a better nation. But I prefer to think of our boat as part of Dr. King’s legacy. He, too, talked about audacity, about his audacious faith in the future. “I refuse to accept the idea that the ‘isness’ of man's present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal ‘oughtness’ that forever confronts him,” Dr. King said.

Our intrepid group has its moral compass aimed at the way things ought to be. Our cargo is not humanitarian aid, as some of the other ships are carrying, but thousands of letters from the U.S. people, letters of compassion, solidarity and hope written to people living in the Gaza Strip. We travel with what Dr. King called “unarmed truth and unconditional love.”

Continue reading the rest of Medea's piece on Global Exchange's People-to-People blog.

In solidarity,

Carleen Pickard
Associate Director
Global Exchange