What to expect from Palestine in America this year
Four years in What to expect from PiA in 2018
I didn’t establish Palestine in America to make a quick buck. I created the website and print magazine to give Palestinians in the United States a voice; to give Palestinian journalists an outlet that won’t censor their ideas; and to help mentor young journalists.
So, PiA is inviting Palestinian-Americans to blog for us for a small stipend. Write about your passions and opinions and then submit them. If we publish, you get paid. It’s that simple.
I will use my space to fill you in on what Palestine in America is currently working on and what we plan to achieve in the near future; My thoughts on current events pertaining to Palestine; and I will give you all a small glimpse into my personal life.
So, let’s dive right in.
Since graduating college and receiving my bachelors degree in broadcast journalism, I’ve accomplished many of my goals—establishing an online and print magazine (Palestine in America); creating an annual concert celebrating Palestinian-American artists (using Palestine in America’s platform); and becoming a licensed insurance specialist in Illinois and Missouri. I am very proud of my achievements, but there is still so much PiA and I have yet to do:
Expand from an annual print magazine to a quarterly magazine
Add writers and editors
Do more journalism workshops with Palestinian-American youth and young journalists
These are just a few things we expect to implement over the coming years. During the last four years, PiA’s board has exceeded expectations, especially considering our lack of resources. For that, I’m indebted to them.
We published our first issue in 2015 without selling advertisements. I had to come out of pocket, but donations from friends and supporters helped with a majority of the expenses. Over the years, a handful of people have spent hundreds of hours planning, organizing, writing and editing for PiA. This has led to individuals, organizations and companies believing in our mission and supporting us financially.
Because of our expanding readership, I was feeling extremely ambitious heading into the new year. I wanted to start printing the magazine quarterly immediately. However, expanding PiA while juggling an insurance career, being a newlywed, and shopping for a new home would be too much to take on.
But this year, we will still publish our annual magazine, host our annual concert (artists and location TBD) and we will host a few journalism workshops.
There are times I wonder if I bit off more than I could chew. When I established Palestine in America, I had little knowledge of the business side of running a publication.
But, to achieve Palestine in America’s full potential, we are going to have to dig deep and put more effort into raising funds. When the money dries up, it’s staying inspired and focused is tough. It’s also unfair to assume any of our writers, editors or designers would work for free. We appreciate anyone who has volunteered their time or work to PiA for little or no compensation, but we do not want to ever need to do that ever again.
This passed Saturday was my birthday and as a present to myself, I promised I would never allow PiA to cease to exist. So, if that means reaching into my own pockets more often to help the organization thrive, then that is what I am going to do.
I also promised myself that I would keep up with my blog, so stay tuned.
