Global conflict, like the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, can leave people feeling helpless in the face of tragedy so big, and so far away. A group of local activists have combined their efforts to empower people by throwing a benefit event for some victims of the war.
Our Common Foe, a fundraiser show for families in Gaza, will take place at 5 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 28, at Flat Black Art Supplies in Palm Desert. A $10 entry fee will get you access to a great selection of local music, a wide variety of local art and food vendors, a screen-printing workshop, zine and sticker crafting, an open mic, raffles and more. All proceeds will go to different organizations supporting families in Gaza.
Event organizers Ceci, Val, and Melissa sat down for a recent interview with the Independent.
“The three of us are from here (the Coachella Valley),” Ceci said. “We went to go get our education and did all that big stuff, and then we came back. While we were out in our respective places, we all were super into activism. We’re activists. We love people; we love community. I’m a community resource specialist, and anything I can do to make life better for the people of my community is something that I’m just going to jump into. Both Val and Melissa feel the same way when it comes to art, when it comes to accessibility, and when it comes to human rights in general, and that’s the biggest thing for us. We want to be able to help open a door for voices that aren’t traditionally heard.”
Ceci is one of many locals who have seen news coverage of the ongoing conflict, and wanted to provide help.
“The whole issue with the genocide is that a lot of people don’t really recognize it,” Ceci said. “A lot of people are just turning a blind eye, and it’s not our thing to just let things sit. Why not try to help? … We can make choices. We can make our own decisions; we can identify what’s wrong and try to do what we can with our hands. Because of the media and stuff, you get to see everything that’s happening around the world. How do you just shut it off? How do you just let something like that pass by you?”
One goal of the Our Common Foe event is to build community. The organizers said the name of the event “signifies the common struggles we face as a community, and how that connects us to those around the world who also have common struggles—our common foe.”
“There is a community here,” Melissa said. “There is care, and there is so much opportunity for people to … bring awareness to the things that are happening around the world, and the struggles that we deal with day in and day out. The biggest thing about creating it here is because it’s my hometown. It’s the people I care about; it’s the people I want to connect to. I want them to know that we care.”
All three of the organizers are artists, and they felt it was important for art to be a big part of the fundraiser.
“I feel like creativity opens different doors for people to be open and learn other things,” Melissa said. “… This is a chance for them to come and just be creative, have fun, and have these hard conversations that we’re trying to normalize, because, again, they are things that we care about.”
Our Common Foe will include a screen-printing workshop, during which attendees can pay $6 to $10 to print on a blank shirt, tote or patch. You can also bring your own garment and print for free or a small donation. The intent of the workshop, along with the sticker- and zine-crafting stations, is to empower valley voices by teaching them a new skill.
“All proceeds from the event will go to 12 direct-aid funding campaigns, helping with needs including home repairs, college funds, medicine costs and more.”
“Community action takes forms in many ways, and one of them, for us, is art,” Val said. “It’s the biggest tool for artists to express themselves. … Who doesn’t art speak to? Who doesn’t it capture? Even though it might not be seen as one of the biggest weapons a person can have, it is when it really does influence so many people. Art is everywhere. These workshops, the zines, the buttons—people will spend time crafting them and putting them together, but they’ll also be taking these things home, and they’ll also be taking the information home and the experience and the interactions.”
The music lineup features musicians who are all activists in their own way.
“Everybody who’s in this event, one way or another, supports the cause,” Melissa said. “We’ve definitely been very open about what we believe in, and the people we’ve approached are people who are also advocating, like Bronca and all the DJs. We’ve had conversations about the things that are happening—conversations about what we want to do creatively through our own art form—and everybody on the lineup feels very strongly about that. … We all are here because we believe in the same thing, and we all want to keep advocating for that, and create that safe space for those who do feel the same way.”
Our Common Foe will also feature an hour-long open mic hosted by Props 2 Poetry.
“They’re from the east valley and started something beautiful,” Ceci said. “They’re in the library; they’re at all community centers; they’re at events; and they’re promoting people and giving them the ability to speak. A lot of people don’t really tap into poetry, because they’re afraid of it. … It’s about being able to communicate what you have to say, what you need to say, and bringing them in is really exciting, because it’s art. If it makes a statement, it’s art.”
All proceeds from the event will go to 12 direct-aid funding campaigns, helping with needs including home repairs, college funds, medicine costs and more. For a full list of the campaigns, visit this Instagram post.
“We did a little bit of research, and we found a few accounts, mainly directly to families,” Ceci said. “The aid that’s given to a lot of these organizations isn’t getting directly to Gaza or the people. … A lot of the accounts we selected are mainly GoFundMes organized by different people who are reaching out from Gaza itself—the people who need it the most.”
Our Common Foe will take place at 5 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 28, at Flat Black Art Supplies, 72840 Highway 111, in Palm Desert. Admission is $10. For more information, visit instagram.com/burntoutcreativexx.
