Sumud Podcast: Inspired by Palestine

🎙️ In this episode of the Sumud Podcast, Dr. Ed Hasan sits down with acclaimed Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir to discuss her film Palestine ’36 and the realities of creating under occupation. Jacir shares the challenges of filmmaking in Palestine, from restricted movement to rebuilding entire productions, and reflects on how the film became a testament to resilience and collective effort. The conversation explores identity, displacement, and the deeper themes of resistance and unity, revealing how storytelling becomes an act of memory and defiance. 🌍 Annemarie Jacir is a Palestinian filmmaker who has written, directed, and produced over sixteen films, with premieres at major festivals including Cannes, Berlin, Venice, and Toronto. Her work has broken ground, including her short film 'Like Twenty Impossibles' becoming the first Arab short selected at Cannes, and her debut feature 'Salt of This Sea' marking the first feature by a Palestinian female director. Her films, including 'When I Saw You and Wajib' have received numerous international awards, and all three of her feature films were selected as Palestine’s official Oscar entries. She is the founder of Philistine Films, supports independent cinema in the region, and directed her fourth feature film, 'Palestine ’36', which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was selected as Palestine’s submission to the Academy Awards. 🔑 In this conversation, we explore → The making of Palestine ’36 and why this story matters now → The realities of filmmaking under occupation and restricted movement → Rebuilding sets, navigating loss, and creating under constant uncertainty → Identity, exile, and the emotional weight of displacement → The role of cinema in preserving memory and resisting erasure → Unity across religious and social lines in Palestinian history → Storytelling as an act of survival, resistance, and defiance ⏱ Chapters 00:00 Opening clip: Filmmaking under occupation 01:00 Introducing Annemarie Jacir 03:00 Why Palestine ’36 and why now 08:30 The challenges of filming in Palestine 18:00 Loss, rebuilding, and production obstacles 32:00 Identity, exile, and personal connection 48:00 Cinema as resistance and historical memory 01:02:00 Unity, storytelling, and closing reflections Sponsored by The Karate Attorney (@karateattorney) fighting for justice inside and outside the courtroom. Visit KarateAttorney.com 🎬 Full episode on https://sumudpod.com 📲 Follow @dredhasan | @sumudpod | @annamariajacir | @watermelonplusco | @watermelonpictures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

🎙️ In this episode of the Sumud Podcast, Dr. Ed Hasan sits down with renowned historian and antiracist scholar Dr. Ibram X. Kendi to discuss his latest book" Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age" and the dangerous ideologies shaping politics and conflict around the world. Dr. Kendi breaks down how Great Replacement Theory has evolved into a powerful global narrative used to justify racism, authoritarianism, and violence. The conversation explores how these ideas connect movements across countries and how similar narratives have been used to frame conflicts, including the ongoing tragedy in Palestine, revealing the ways propaganda and fear-based politics can dehumanize entire populations and rationalize oppression. 🌍 Dr. Ibram X. Kendi is one of the world’s foremost historians of racism and a leading antiracist scholar. He is the Carter G. Woodson Endowed Chair at Howard University and the founding director of the Howard University Institute for Advanced Study, an interdisciplinary research enterprise examining global racism. Dr. Kendi is the author of numerous critically acclaimed and bestselling books, including Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, which won the National Book Award for Nonfiction, and the international bestseller How to Be an Antiracist. His newest book, Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age, examines how modern authoritarian movements are connected through shared ideologies rooted in historical racism. His work has been translated across the Americas, Africa, Europe, and Asia, and Time Magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. He is also the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, widely known as the “Genius Grant.” 🔑 In this conversation, we explore → What Great Replacement Theory is and how it became a dominant political narrative → How racist ideologies evolve and adapt across different countries and movements → The concept of “genocide theory” and how it can be used to justify mass violence → The connections between propaganda, politics, and global authoritarian movements → How narratives of demographic fear are used to mobilize political power → Why Palestine appears prominently in Dr. Kendi’s research on modern political propaganda → The role of scholars and journalists in confronting misinformation and propaganda → The global networks of politicians, financiers, and influencers spreading these ideas → How solidarity across communities can challenge racism and authoritarianism ⏱ Chapters 00:00 Opening clip: Genocide theory explained 01:00 Introducing Dr. Ibram X. Kendi 03:00 What is Great Replacement Theory 07:00 Realizing it’s a global ideology 22:00 Orchestrated distancing explained 37:20 Why Palestine is central to the book 55:20 The “renovated house of Hitler” + closing thoughts Sponsored by The Karate Attorney (@karateattorney) fighting for justice inside and outside the courtroom. Visit KarateAttorney.com 🎬 Full episode on https://sumudpod.com 📲 Follow @dredhasan | @sumudpod | @ibramxk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

🎙️In this episode of the Sumud Podcast, Palestinian-American nurse and humanitarian volunteer Nurse Lana shares her firsthand experiences working inside Gaza during the war. Through powerful testimony, she recounts what she witnessed in hospitals overwhelmed with casualties, and reflects on the emotional weight of hearing the stories of those who survived unimaginable violence, torture, and displacement. She also discusses the personal toll of returning home after witnessing war, the responsibility she believes healthcare workers have to “bear witness,” and how those experiences led her to help create Peace Med, a network of medical professionals advocating for humanitarian aid and a ceasefire. DISCLAIMER: This episode contains traumatic eyewitness testimony from Gaza, including descriptions of war, medical emergencies, violence and abuse and may be difficult for some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised. 🌍In February of 2024 and again in 2025, Nurse Lana entered Gaza not just as a nurse, but as a witness to humanity’s breaking point. She worked in hospitals running on more hope than supplies. Each moment carved a scar into her heart, each life lost became a weight she still carries. In nursing, they say “if it wasn’t documented, it wasn’t done”. And with a heart forever scarred by genocide, she documented the cries, the chaos, and the courage, not in medical charts, but in a book. Her recently released book, "Healing Under Fire" is her testimony to what it felt like to work at the bedside of a genocide as a privileged American nurse. 🔑 In this conversation, we explore → The moment Nurse Lana decided to volunteer in Gaza → Preparing for the possibility of death before leaving home → Entering Gaza and witnessing the reality of life under siege → Treating patients in hospitals with almost no supplies → The emotional weight of losing patients who could have survived elsewhere → The resilience, generosity, and humanity of Palestinians in Gaza → Witnessing the release of Palestinian detainees and signs of torture → The psychological toll of returning home and learning how to cope ⏱ Chapters 00:00 Opening message 01:00 Introducing Nurse Lana 03:00 The decision to volunteer in Gaza 06:00 Preparing for the possibility of death 10:30 Entering Gaza and first impressions 18:00 Working inside Gaza’s overwhelmed hospitals 32:00 Living and working under bombardment 43:00 Witnessing the release of Palestinian detainees 56:00 Returning home and coping with trauma Sponsored by The Karate Attorney (@karateattorney) fighting for justice inside and outside the courtroom. Visit KarateAttorney.com 🎬 Full episode on https://sumudpod.com 📲 Follow @dredhasan | @sumudpod | @Nurse_Lana Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

🎙️In this episode of the Sumud Podcast, Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate Mohsen Mahdawi joins Dr. Ed Hasan to share the story behind the headlines. Born in a refugee camp in the West Bank, Mohsen reflects on loss, displacement, and the experiences that shaped his commitment to justice. He discusses his journey to the United States, his activism on campus, and the moment he was arrested during his own citizenship interview. Blending personal memory with political insight, Mohsen speaks about resilience, Palestinian liberation, and the deeper human struggle behind the fight for freedom. 🌍Mohsen Mahdawi was born and raised in Al-Far’a refugee camp in the West Bank of Palestine. Mohsen's early years were defined by Israeli military occupation. At twenty four, he moved to the United States and experienced freedom and safety for the first time in his life, finding in Vermont a true home rooted in belonging and the strength of a supportive community. At Columbia University, he became a leading voice for Palestinian rights through dialogue and coalition-building, including with Jewish and Israeli communities. In April 2025 when Mohsen walked into an immigration office for his citizenship interview and was handcuffed and detained by ICE in retaliation for his pro-Palestinian activism. Mohsen continues his graduate studies in Diplomacy while defending his rights in courts and building an organization dedicated to human rights and nonviolent conflict resolution. 🔑 In this conversation, we explore → Growing up in a West Bank refugee camp → The loss of family members and the trauma of occupation → Childhood grief and the path toward healing → Discovering freedom after arriving in the United States → Building community and mentorship in Vermont → Campus activism and confronting the Israeli narrative → His framework for Palestinian liberation and justice → Being arrested during his U.S. citizenship interview ⏱ Chapters 00:00 Opening message 01:00 Introducing Mohsen Mahdawi 03:30 Growing up in a refugee camp 12:00 Loss, trauma, and childhood memories 28:00 Coming to America and discovering freedom 45:00 Community, mentors, and learning English 58:00 Activism and confronting power on campus 01:10:00 Arrest at the citizenship interview 01:20:00 Resilience and message to Palestinians Sponsored by The Karate Attorney (@karateattorney) fighting for justice inside and outside the courtroom. Visit KarateAttorney.com 🎬 Full episode on https://sumudpod.com 📲 Follow @dredhasan | @sumudpod | @mohsen.of.palestine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

🎙️In this episode of the Sumud Podcast, clinical psychologist and author Dr. Lara Sheehi joins Dr. Ed Hasan to discuss her book "From the Clinic to the Streets: Psychoanalysis for Revolutionary Futures" and the concept of psychic militancy. She explores how systems of power intrude upon the mind, normalize oppression, and bend reality, particularly in the context of Palestine. Drawing on Frantz Fanon and anti-colonial struggle, Lara challenges psychology’s neutrality and calls for an unbending, liberation-centered political commitment. 🌍Dr. Lara Sheehi is a Research Fellow at the University of South Africa's Institute for Social and Health Sciences, a licensed clinical psychologist, and the host of the Psychic Militancy podcast. Lara’s work focuses on psychoanalysis, the psychic refusals central to liberation struggles and life-making in the Global South, the psychic dimensions of resistance and revolution, and critical Zionism studies. She is co-author with Stephen Sheehi of Psychoanalysis Under Occupation: Practicing Resistance in Palestine (Routledge, 2022) which won the 2022 Palestine Book Award for Best Academic Book. Lara is a member of the founding collective for the Institute for the Critical Study of Zionism and is on the advisory board for Forensic Architecture. Her new book, From the Clinic to the Streets: Psychoanalysis for Revolutionary Futures will be released by Pluto Press in May 2026. 🔑 In this conversation, we explore → Growing up in Lebanon during civil war → Racism inside Western psychology classrooms → The Zionist disruption at a Palestine panel → Psychic intrusion and reality bending → Edward Bernays, propaganda, and psychological warfare → Frantz Fanon and liberation psychology → De-specializing knowledge and reclaiming theory → Why neutrality protects power → What psychic militancy actually demands ⏱ Chapters 00:00 Opening message 01:00 Introducing Lara Sheehi 03:00 From Lebanon to U.S. psychology 08:30 Racism and misattunement in therapy 12:00 The Palestine panel confrontation 18:00 Psychological operations and propaganda 27:00 Reality bending and psychic intrusion 41:30 Frantz Fanon and revolutionary practice 52:00 De-specializing psychology 01:05:00 Psychic militancy explained 01:20:00 Message to comrades Sponsored by The Karate Attorney (@karateattorney) fighting for justice inside and outside the courtroom. Visit KarateAttorney.com 🎬 Full episode on https://sumudpod.com 📲 Follow @dredhasan | @sumudpod | @psychoanalystactivist | @psychicmilitancypod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

🎙️ In this episode of the Sumud Podcast, filmmaker and activist Rob Bliss joins Dr. Ed Hasan to unpack the story behind White Man Walking, his 1,500-mile journey from Jackson, Mississippi to Washington, DC wearing a Black Lives Matter shirt through some of the most hostile towns in America. Rob reflects on standing in the “most racist town in America,” confronting armed strangers, walking through sensory isolation and physical collapse, and discovering that much of the anger he encountered was rooted in fear. They explore race, risk, privilege, loneliness, improv comedy as survival, and what it means to use your body as a form of protest. 🌍 Rob Bliss launched his career by creating free and unique community events through Facebook. These events, from flash mobs to music festivals, totaled for an attendance of 100,000 people in his hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan. His career took off further after creating YouTube videos and short form documentaries, amassing over a billion organic views. His bold, socially charged works, including "10 Hours of Walking in NYC as a Woman" and "Holding a BLM Sign in America's Most Racist Town", cemented his reputation for daring work with global resonance. These successes led to a Hulu television series entitled, “Blissful Thinking". In May 2025, he premiered his first feature film documentary, "White Man Walking", on BBC and Arte (Germany/France), chronicling his 1,500-mile walk completed in just 2.5 months. 🎬 Rob’s documentary White Man Walking is now available on Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango, Google Play, and streaming on Watermelon+. 🔑 In this conversation, we explore → Holding a BLM sign in Harrison, Arkansas → Walking 25 miles a day for 2.5 months → Armed confrontations and threats in rural America → Fear as the root of hostility → The racist memorabilia store encounter → Unexpected kindness and emotional breakdowns → Privilege, access, and why he could take that risk → Sensory deprivation and mental endurance → What “loud” social justice actually means ⏱ Chapters 00:00 Opening message 01:00 Welcome Rob Bliss 02:40 Harrison, Arkansas and the viral sign 09:00 The walk begins in Mississippi 17:30 Guns, threats, and near violence 24:55 The racist store encounter 30:30 Unexpected kindness on the road 34:00 Physical and emotional breaking points 41:00 Why a White man did this walk 48:00 Free Palestine hypothetical 49:45 One takeaway 54:40 Message to future activists Sponsored by The Karate Attorney (@karateattorney) fighting for justice inside and outside the courtroom. Visit KarateAttorney.com 🎬 Full episode on https://sumudpod.com 📲 Follow @dredhasan | @sumudpod | @robblissgr Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

🎙️ In this episode of the Sumud Podcast, Palestinian American creator Mo Hamzeh joins Dr. Ed Hasan for a raw conversation about censorship, fatherhood, and refusing to stay silent. Known for his sharp, fact-driven breakdowns and repeated bans across major platforms, Mo shares the story behind the viral clips, growing up bullied for being Palestinian, hiding his identity to survive, and ultimately deciding to go all in. They unpack Meta’s aggressive takedowns, the rise of alternative platforms, the emotional toll of witnessing Gaza in real time as a parent, and why slowing down now would mean losing the moment. 🌍 Moath Hamzeh is a Palestinian-American that was born and raised in the United States. Mo is a husband and father of 2 beautiful children.Mo's family is from Palestine through and through with his father side being from Ein Karem, which is just outside of Jerusalem, and his mother's side from Tubas. His great grandparents and grandparents among their children were displaced as a result of the Nakba of 1948 where they were forced to seek refuge, which forced many of his family to flee to Jordan. Mo has been relentless in his advocacy and activism online to the point where Meta has deleted a total of 42 of his Instagram accounts and banned him from their platform. Mo looks forward to the day that in our millions, in our billions, we will all walk hand-in-hand in a free Palestine. 🔑 In this conversation, we explore → Growing up Palestinian and navigating identity in America → Breaking the silence and embracing “psychic militancy” → The research discipline behind viral political content → 41+ Meta account removals and digital censorship → Creative alter-egos, masks, and beating the algorithm → UpScrolled and the migration away from censored platforms → Being physically targeted and protecting your family → Fatherhood, grief, and watching Gaza as a parent → The flotilla mission and his father volunteering to go ⏱ Chapters 00:00 Opening message 01:20 Welcome Mo Hamzeh 04:10 Growing up bullied for being Palestinian 09:30 Breaking the silence and going all in 16:40 Meta censorship and account removals 23:50 UpScrolled and digital resistance 31:20 Being targeted in public 37:40 Fatherhood and witnessing Gaza 46:10 The flotilla and his father’s decision 55:30 Final message don’t slow down Sponsored by The Karate Attorney (@karateattorney) fighting for justice inside and outside the courtroom. Visit KarateAttorney.com 🎬 Full episode on https://sumudpod.com 📲 Follow @dredhasan | @sumudpod UpScrolled: @mohamz TikTok: @mo_hamz X: @mo_hamz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

🎙️ In this episode of the Sumud Podcast, Dr. Ed Hasan speaks with Chris Smalls, founder of the Amazon Labor Union, about organizing inside one of the world’s most powerful corporations and what it takes to confront corporate retaliation. Smalls recounts the walkout that led to his firing, the fight to unionize Amazon workers, and how labor struggle connects to global resistance. He also reflects on why he stands with Palestine and shares his firsthand experience joining the Gaza Freedom Flotilla. 🌍 Christian Smalls is the founder and former president of the Amazon Labor Union, the first independent, worker-led union to organize Amazon workers in U.S. history. He also founded The Congress of Essential Workers (TCOEW), a national collective fighting for safe working conditions, fair wages, and justice for essential workers across the country. In 2025, Smalls volunteered with the Gaza Freedom Flotilla to help break the siege on Gaza and amplify global awareness of the humanitarian crisis. He is also the creator of the Labor Party USA, a grassroots political movement built to move beyond the two-party system and center the needs of working people. Before emerging as a national labor leader, Smalls spent five years as an Amazon supervisor, helping launch multiple major warehouse facilities in the Northeast. He was fired in 2020 after leading a walkout over unsafe pandemic conditions—an event that propelled him into the national spotlight and international media. 🔑 In this conversation, we explore → Organizing Amazon workers and confronting corporate power → Warehouse labor, exploitation, and modern-day slavery → Systemic racism inside corporate America → Retaliation, walkouts, and union-busting tactics → Black liberation, trade unionism, and Palestine → Saying “Free Palestine” and the cost of solidarity → The Gaza flotilla, imprisonment, and state violence → Why people power beats billionaire money ⏱ Chapters 00:00 Opening message 01:00 Welcome Chris Smalls 05:00 Inside Amazon: labor, exploitation, and racism 12:00 COVID, the walkout, and retaliation 20:00 Building the Amazon Labor Union 30:00 Black liberation, labor history, and Palestine 40:00 Saying “Free Palestine” and the cost of solidarity 52:00 The Gaza flotilla and imprisonment 1:05:00 People power, resistance, and final message 🎬 Full episode on https://sumudpod.com 📲 Follow: @dredhasan | @sumudpod Instagram: @chris.smalls_ | @thelaborpartyusa X: @shut_DownAmazon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

🎙️ This episode of the Sumud Podcast features a wide ranging conversation with Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib on what it means to carry Palestine inside an institution where Palestinian humanity is denied. Dr. Ed Hasan and the congresswoman talk candidly about the loneliness of voting “no” while colleagues enable mass death, the pressure campaigns and intimidation that try to silence dissent, and the power of the outside movement to force Congress to move. Rashida shares stories of her sitis, Southwest Detroit, and growing up the eldest of 14, tracing how family, faith, and lived experience shaped her politics. The episode also explores her environmental justice roots, including the moment she literally collected petroleum coke samples to prove what residents were breathing, and closes with a message to the next generation: stay rooted, dream big, and never let anyone take your voice. 🌍 Rashida Tlaib is a U.S. Congresswoman representing Michigan’s 12th Congressional District, rooted in Detroit and surrounding communities. Born and raised in Detroit to Palestinian immigrant parents, she is the oldest of 14 children and a lifelong advocate for working families. Rashida made history as the first Muslim woman elected to the Michigan Legislature and later to Congress. A former public interest attorney, she is known for centering constituent services, holding polluters and corporations accountable, and fighting for dignity, justice, and equity at the local and national level. 🔑 In this conversation, we explore → Congress and funding genocide → Palestine as the political “exception” → AIPAC pressure and intimidation → Standing alone and collective power → Sitis and Palestinian women → Southwest Detroit and being eldest of 14 → Healthcare racism and grief → Environmental justice and petcoke → Student encampments and divestment → Why outside movements move Congress ⏱ Chapters 00:00 Opening message 01:00 Welcome Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib 03:00 “How are you doing” carrying Gaza inside Congress 06:30 Dehumanization the “exception” for Palestinians 10:10 Being alone on the floor and the truth about support 14:20 Sitis, Beit Hanina and the fuel of family 20:00 Southwest Detroit eldest of 14 translator survival mode 28:40 Healthcare racism grief and losing her parents 36:30 Environmental justice the petroleum coke samples story 46:30 Students encampments divestment and litigation as resistance 56:30 How to support her the outside movement moves Congress 1:02:00 Message to the next generation stay rooted dream big 🎬 Full episode on https://sumudpod.com 📲 Follow @dredhasan | @sumudpod | @rashidatlaib Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

🎙️ This episode of the Sumud Podcast features a wide ranging conversation with Guy Christensen on finding political clarity through Palestine and the cost of speaking out against power. Dr. Ed Hasan and Guy trace his path from conservative Mormon culture and the alt right pipeline to learning about the Nakba, Gaza as an open air prison, and the role of human rights reporting in challenging dominant narratives. The episode examines paid propaganda, harassment, and his expulsion from Ohio State later overturned by a federal court and closes with a call to speak up, build community, and resist systems rooted in oppression. 🌍 Guy Christensen is a student activist, organizer, and influencer whose educational work has reached over 1 billion people since the start of Israel's genocide. Last year, he spearheaded the viral Fast For Gaza challenge which has so far distributed over half a million dollars in aid to Gaza. Guy’s storytelling and advocacy work across social media, grassroots organizing, and national media platforms have earned him a reputation for mobilizing young people and turning outrage into tangible impact. 🔑 In this conversation, we explore: -Growing up in conservative Mormon culture and leaving the alt right pipeline -Personal experiences that shaped empathy and political direction -Learning about the Nakba, Gaza, and human rights reporting -Paid propaganda and influencer recruitment efforts -Harassment, doxxing, and coordinated smear campaigns -Expulsion from Ohio State and the legal fight that followed -Independent media, journalism, and digital resistance -Why speaking up matters even when it is risky ⏱ Chapters 00:00 Introduction and opening message 04:30 From Mormon upbringing to political awakening 10:20 Discovering Palestine Nakba Gaza and human rights reports 18:45 Paid propaganda harassment and online targeting 28:30 High school confrontation and early public backlash 36:50 Ohio State censorship and expulsion 50:10 Legal fight ACLU support and court victory 1:03:40 Independent media student activism and speaking anyway 🎬 Full episode on https://sumudpod.com 📲 Follow @dredhasan | @sumudpod Social Media for Guy: -TikTok @yourfavoriteguy -Instagram Banned again -YouTube @yourfavoriteguy0 -Substack @yourfavoriteguy -UpScrolled @guy -X @guychristensen_ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices