FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 11th, 2025

MARCH AGAINST GENOCIDE A MAJOR SUCCESS, ANNOUNCES PALESTINE SOLIDARITY GRAND RAPIDS

Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids (PSGR) sends it's sincere thank you to everyone who made the March Against Genocide a success. They stressed it couldn’t have been done without the overwhelming support of their Michigan community. Between food, snacks, gear, and financial donations, 27 daily walkers were able to trek 75 miles for the children of Gaza. 

After a week of rest, PSGR is proud to announce that the original goal was quadruple what was expected; garnering over $21,000 for Palestinian children. As outlined in the GoFundMe, PSGR slated 25% each to it's original beneficiaries, retaining 25% of the the remaining funds for operational costs during the march and 25% for PSGR's annual operating costs. In a unanimous vote, PSGR members elected to utilize the money slated for their expenses for a THIRD beneficiary, the Gaza Infant Nutrition Alliance.

27 people walked all 75 miles from Grand Rapids to Lansing, with an additional 50+ people joining for at least one day. Initially, it was expected that numbers would drop dramatically after the first day, but marchers exhibited their resilience, dedication, and commitment with every step they took.

"While a few walkers had to reduce the amount of days they marched, many came back after taking a break to recuperate. As committed organizers, we are in awe of the dozens of people from all walks of life who chose to undertake this challenge. Many of our marchers had never been to a protest before, and they chose to walk 75 miles to prove their commitment to humanity."

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE ROAD

Despite occasional hostility, the marchers were met with unexpected care and hospitality in every city. West of Ionia, the march encountered a mother and her adult daughter sitting on their front porch. Intrigued by the exhausted, neon clad group wandering their country road, they asked what they were doing. When they heard that we were raising money for Palestinian children, they quickly grabbed $120 from their wallets. “Politics doesn’t matter,” the elder mother said. “We should always help children.”

Every step of the way, marchers were accompanied by Palestinian community members who praised the efforts of the marchers and organizers. They were joined by Palestinian families and youth marching for a day or volunteering for a few hours. Stopped on the side of the road outside of a Mormon church, a Palestinian couple brought marchers snacks and cold drinks, told them stories of displacement, and shared the community spirit. 

A car full of hijabi women drove back and forth half a dozen times west of Portland, hanging out the windows and sun roof, horn blazing, triumphant cheers bringing tears to the eyes of every marcher. “That was everything I needed to keep me going,” said one marcher at the front.

In Grand Ledge, they were visited by an elder Palestinian man who said “you are doing so much more than our own people can do. We are afraid. We cannot do what you are able to do. Thank you - bless you. Thank you.”  

BENEFICIARIES

HEAL Palestine and Playgrounds for Palestine will receive 25%, as outlined in the GoFundMe, totaling more than $5,300 each. An additional 25% will go to the Gaza Infant Nutrition Alliance, which provides education and direct aid to nursing parents in Gaza. GINA is a certified charity in the UK currently providing meals to breastfeeding mothers so that they can produce milk to feed their babies.

Because of the overwhelming generosity of the community donating snacks and water, PSGR was able to minimize logistics costs.  Approximately $1,700 of the final 25% raised was spent on logistics, PSGR will retain the rest to purchase new fundraiser t-shirts and book hotels for 20 PSGR organizers to attend the Peoples Conference for Palestine in Detroit this August.

PAYING IT FORWARD

PSGR was left with 13 flats of bottled water (40 count each), plus an additional 30 gallons of water, which are being donated to groups doing direct aid in Grand Rapids. 7 flats of water were already donated to the West Michigan Care Collective, and the remaining flats plus the gallon jugs will be donated to Food Not Bombs. All unopened snacks will also be donated to Food Not Bombs to further their mission of food security.

Hundreds of dollars in medic supplies, including bandages, instant ice packs, sunblock, topical analgesics, and more will be donated to the West Michigan Care Collective and various shelters around Grand Rapids. 

THE VOLUNTEER TEAM

Six coordinators managed and implemented the logistics of organizing the route, scheduling almost 30 drivers to meet walkers every couple of miles with cold drinks and snacks, setting up shelters on the side of the road to keep marchers safe from heat illness, managing medical care with doctors, nurses, and street medics, sourcing accommodations and respite stops along the way, hauling marchers’ gear to each new city, and coordinating another 30 volunteers to bring hot meals for 27-50 people from Grand Rapids three times per day. Dozens of volunteers spent hundreds of hours, each, to make this event possible. 

The coordinators and volunteers seamlessly pivoted through every challenge, rising to meet every request with efficiency and grace: when the marchers requested umbrellas to shield them from the sun, they were delivered an hour later. When the marchers requested a kiddie pool for their sore feet, it was waiting at the accommodations. 

PSGR has been growing the capacity of organizers for the past two years, they have never executed an event like this before. They are beyond proud of the skillfulness of every organizer who made this possible. This is proof that grassroots organizing is powerful. 

TESTIMONIALS

“Thank you all for being part of the most impactful experience of my entire life.” -C

“I wasn’t expecting it to change my perspective so much. Thank you all for the past you played, I look forward to getting to know more of you better through PSGR” -S

“I am SO impressed with the planning, attention to details, and execution of this event. You truly had everything covered. A special thank you to the drivers, first to urgent care and then to the hospital. I hate being a bother to people, and you were so kind, caring, and helpful. You have given me, and my friends from [city redacted], faith in humanity! We are so grateful to gave gotten to know some of you and hope to collaborate with you in the future.” -L

“I’ve been an activist for a very long time (perhaps the most elder walker at 67?) and I have never been to a better-organized event! You all thought of EVERYTHING! And though I only walked for one day, I would not have been able to do it without the incredible care team!!! Such unbelievable care! I wish I could have spoken to all of you 1:1, but the whole spirit of the marchers was one of love, support, beloved community, and the recognition that no one is free until we are all free! FREE PALESTINE!” -A

“As another senior marcher, I have to agree that activist types are not always the most gifted in organization, and what we experienced on these five days was truly inspired and incredibly skillful organization. Kudos to everyone who helped make it run like a well oiled machine.” -E

“Huge thanks to the bikers and safety people who put their bodies between us and traffic to keep us safe on the streets! I was grateful and in awe every single time.” -R

“I got more than I expected and feel lucky to have been able to participate. This was energizing and gave me much needed courage to speak louder. I’m inspired and in awe of the many unique flavors of people working together to build community around helping people. Also, the logistics “behind the scenes” team, y’all need the MVP award. Big shout out to them. They blew me away. FREE PALESTINE” -H

“I can’t find the words to describe how incredibly and cathartic this entire weekend has been. I am so proud of all of you and humbled to be welcomed in by this community of amazing people.” -J

“I just want to give another big thank you to everyone that was a part of this. It’s been my honor and privilege over these last 5 days to walk, talk, and experience life with you all.”-H

“I wanted to say thank you all from the bottom of my heart for the amazing time we spent together <3 It was a blessing to share this experience with every single one of you. I’ve genuinely never enjoyed a group of people more than I did this one! You all have restored my hope in humanity. And thank you to every PSGR member who organized the march. The time, energy, and love you put into this blows me away. I am so grateful!” -B