Chris Hedges is the real thing. He is a Pullitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist who has put his life and his freedom on the line several times throughout his career in order to advance truth and rights for people all over the world. He has done all this through moral and physical courage, scholarship, and his faith with a master’s in divinity from Harvard and an honorary doctorate from Starr King School for the ministry in Berkeley, California. On May 30th, he came to San Diego to promote his latest book A Genocide Foretold: Reporting on Survival and Resistance in Occupied Palestine.
The event, hosted by KNSJ 89.1 FM, was originally to be held at St. Paul’s Cathedral but, due to their last-minute cancellation, was moved to the Columbus Club. Despite the abrupt switch, San Diego’s activist community was there in full force. With the direction of Frances Motiwalla, some prepared food through the night while others kicked their organizing skills into gear to pack the hall of the Columbus Club. Several organizations cosponsored the event including Code Pink, Indian Voices, Veterans for Peace San Diego, Jewish Voice for Peace San Diego, Council on Arab-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Liberation Road, KARAMAnow.org, and others.
After introductions from KNSJ Station Manager Martin Eder and Development Director and Marketing/Community Outreach Coordinator Marie Johnson, Chris Hedges took to the podium. Visibly weary from his travels from Egypt and his undertakings, Hedges explained that he is currently working on another book that he is determined to get out as soon as possible. Hedges then tore into selected readings from A Genocide Foretold. Some of the reading was horrifically gruesome and grim, but as Hedges explained in many ways throughout the evening, it is more important to him to reveal the real reality that we are living in in order for us to have the best opportunity and greatest motivation to affect change. Hedges illustrated parallels between the genocide of Native Americans and the current genocide of Palestinians. He explained how Netanyahu used the same bible passages to justify the IDF’s atrocities as did Puritan settlers to justify their erasure of Native Americans.
“The citation refers to the biblical account of the nation of Amalek’s unprovoked attack against the weary Israelites after they left Egypt, and concludes with an enjoinder from God ‘to wipe out the memory of Amalek from under the heavens’—often understood as a perpetual commandment to kill any descendants of the Amalekite people.” https://jewishcurrents.org/facing-amalek
After reading passages from his book, Hedges took questions from the audience. One of the members of the audience, holding his young daughter in his arms, emotionally introduced himself as a veteran of special forces including the Navy Seals. He explained how he and his former special forces buddies would make fun of Chris Hedges, but that now he realizes that he was ignorant then and feels very sad about the genocide that the Palestinians are currently enduring. He asked Hedges what he could do to bring honor back to himself in the eyes of his daughter. Hedges went on to tell the story of the impression that his own father left on him by demonstrating moral courage through his ministry. Hedges reassured the man that there was no greater gift that he could give to his daughter than to be a man who reconciled his wrongs and demonstrated moral courage.
With over 300 in attendance, the evening was a profound success. It brought together several organizations in San Diego and helped raise around $10,000 dollars for KNSJ. With the renewed funds, KNSJ has been able to fix their radio antennae and is back broadcasting on the FM airwaves 89.1. KNSJ like Indian Voices has been around San Diego for many years and has featured a program called Native American Calling for 11 years now. The program put on by NV1 airs at noon Monday through Friday.
