You may have heard that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) banned all political advertising on Boston’s public transportation, but did you see the video of our board member, Richard Colbath-Hess stand up to a mob of anti-Palestinian protesters at the MBTA Control Board meeting? If not, you should.
The MBTA’s decision does not impact the vast majority of our plans for 2016. Here is a peek at what is coming:
- We are currently building a great campaign that is not subject to the ban on political ads in most major cities. It features Mahmoud Darwish poetry, and will be the first in a series of ads that will introduce Americans to Palestinians as a distinct people with a rich and unique culture. The media often presents Palestinians as “Israel’s problem”. We want to challenge that.
- We are nearing completion of a ten-minute animated history of Palestine/Israel. It will be an incredibly useful and much-needed resource for activists trying to educate their friends and families.
- We are exploring new advertising channels. The Boston Globe and the New York Times called us after the MBTA decision to tell us that they welcome our ads. Both are expensive, but we are analyzing whether they can be effective.
- We are going to keep fighting for our right to run ads on public transportation. Our lawyers from the ACLU are already looking at the language of the MBTA’s ban and considering ways to fight it.