This weekend, the Raleigh United Mutual Aid Hub became a site where artists, activists and community members alike gathered in a benefit show to raise funds for the Palestinian Youth Movement through the expression and sharing of music.
In this show, a donation to the Palestinian Youth Movement was your entrance ticket.
The show featured several bands and artists, such as Dunums, Jooselord, Vacant Company and Raleigh-based band Truth Club.
Elise Jaffe, drummer for Truth Club, said accepting the opportunity to perform at the benefit show was a “no brainer,” as it is something the band has been wanting to participate in for a while.
“Bringing people together and then [being] able to sometimes in this case redirect the focus of the event towards not just ‘We’re playing a show,’ but like ‘We’re playing a show, and we’re trying to raise money or have people send emails to representatives,’” Jaffe said.
Phian Tran and Mary Black, members of The Southern Radical who spoke at the benefit show, said art is a great way for people to advocate for social issues and come together for a cause.
“I think whether it’s through art or anything else is really important for us to get out and really connect with the community,” Tran said. “We all have our own different talents and worlds that we come from and I think that art and music is a really wonderful way to bring people together.”
Black also said spaces like the benefit show allow music and art to turn into a way of expressing advocacy on a social issue.
“I think to have local people who are attuned to what’s happening in our communities here, as well as the rest of the country and abroad, coming together to be an intentional community and have music and art and culture be the avenue for radical change,” Black said.
The show continued with performances by Jooselord, Dunums and Vacant Company, in which the room filled with people dancing along to their tunes and electrifying melodies.
Sijal Nasralla, singer and guitarist for Dunums, said the show allowed for bands to come together for the same cause.
“I’m Palestinian,” Nasralla said. “My friend, my family [are] refugees, and … most of my family still lives in the West Bank. And we’ve just been … grieving the losses that we’ve seen, but also celebrating the immense amount of public support for Palestine that’s happening right now. And then the show was just like a really welcome event as like a member of the music community to come and do something that we love to do that comes from pain and beauty together and for a cause.”
Nick Pinto, a fifth-year studying genetics and president of the Young Democratic Socialists of America, said one of his reasons to attend the show was because of its support to the Palestinian Youth Movement, which has been at the forefront of organizing rallies across the country.
“I’m here today for a couple different reasons,” Pinto said. “One, to support the Palestinian Youth movement. … And also, I’m here to support RUMAH, which is a great resource for all activists, left-wing groups around Raleigh. … And also for my own purely selfish reasons, great bands, great performers.”
The benefit show served as a space for the community to advocate for a cause while also coming together and listening to great bands and performers.
“I think when we look through history, I mean, art and music have been the ones that have carried forward messages repeatedly over time,” Tran said. “And I think this is just a continuation of that.”
