Demand That the Nakba Be Added to the BC Curriculum

With the ongoing genocide in Gaza, colonization of Palestine, and widespread misinformation, it is time that the Ministry of Education add the Nakba to the B.C. elementary and secondary Social Studies curricula.

The Nakba, or “catastrophe,” which took place between 1947 and 1949, was the violent dispossession and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians that led to the creation of the state of Israel. Over 700,000 Palestinians were forcefully expelled from their homes, more than 15,000 were massacred, and over 500 of their villages were destroyed. The Nakba is essential context to the history of Palestine and Israel, yet is seldom talked about in the West.

The B.C. Social Studies curricula focus on historical atrocities including the colonization of Turtle Island (North America), the Holocaust, and the Rwandan genocide, but there is no mention whatsoever of the Nakba.

To uphold our commitment to social justice, decolonization, and reconciliation, it is imperative that we ensure students do not leave the education system completely ignorant of the history of Palestine and Israel. We cannot have yet another generation grow up believing it’s “too complicated” or “too sensitive.”

It is time we teach about the Nakba.

Demand that the BC Ministry of Education add the Nakba to the curriculum NOW.

Endorsed by,
Teachers 4 Palestine BC
Independent Jewish Voices Vancouver, Victoria, and UBC
Canada Palestine Association-Vancouver
BDS Vancouver-Coast Salish Territories
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network
Labour for Palestine Vancouver & Victoria
Palestinian Youth Movement Vancouver
Parents for Palestine
Freedom From War Coalition

If you are a group that is interested in adding your name to our organisational open letter to the Ministry, please visit this site: https://nakbaeducationbc.ca/