Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, October 2026, p. 75

Arab American Activism

ON JULY 24 AND 25, the Museum of the Palestinian People hosted its third annual Art and Culture Festival in Washington, DC. This year, activities took place at both the museum and the Festival Center, a community event space. The theme was, “Rooted in Resistance: Here Eternally.” 

During the “newest phase of the genocide against our people in Gaza...and 78 years post-Nakba...[w]e’re still here as artists, painters, writers, athletes, chefs,” the festival’s website shares. “And we will always be here, as Palestinians, generation after generation.”

The festival kicked off with a dinner at the Festival Center on July 24, including a panel discussion. 

The following day, the museum hosted an afternoon at the Festival Center filled with a zine-making workshop, children’s story time and craft hour. It also featured book signings by authors Phyllis Bennis and Paul Zarou, and an indoor market with over 15 vendors selling Palestinian food, clothing, art and more. 

At the same time, the museum held an open house at its 18th Street location, which featured a silent art auction, coffee and food sold by local vendors.

Festival attendees also had the opportunity to watch a screening of the documentary film “Uncommitted.” The film tells the story of the eponymous political movement that encouraged U.S. voters to cast their 2024 Democratic Party presidential primary ballots as “uncommitted” in protest of the Biden-Harris administration’s policy on Gaza. After the screening, director Razi Jafri and impact producer Jasmine Hawamdeh answered questions from the audience.

—Ivana Gabriele-Smith