Email: skm9566@nyu.edu

When reading about the h.i.j.o.s, the children of the disappeared, it illuminated to me how activism requires such patience and such intentional waiting. In the chapter, “You Are Here,” I learned about escraches: acts of public shaming from Argentina’s children, intended to target and put a spotlight on the people associated with the Dirty War, in a sort of ritualistic and theatrical practice. (Taylor, 164)

Taylor makes a fascinating point on the performance of trauma, stating “Trauma like performance is characterized by the nature of its repeats.” (167) This immediately reminded me of the current rise in activism for the people of Palestine. For the past few weeks, I have scrolled through variations of the exact same messaging on social media, the same infographics on instagram and twitter, and the same calls to action– often I have felt a sense of helplessness and have wondered if these posts are “raising awareness” or simply screaming into the void and doing nothing to help Palestinians. As I was reading, I think I have realized that the answer to this question is two-fold. One, the repetition of the horrors in Palestine serve as reminders. They are telling us, do not look away, do not forget. The second part of this answer is informed by Taylor’s message– Live performance can transfer the trauma, the live storytelling is vital to the understanding of it, the passing down of the gravity of the situation from one generation to the next. (169)

I remember in class one day, Diana spoke about las madres, the mothers of the disappeared who have gathered and marched every Thursday for the last 25 years. What she said about them has stayed with me for weeks: These mothers know their children are dead, they know they are never coming home. I believe las madres are saying you are not allowed to forget them, we will not let you forget them. “Encontrarlos en encontrarnos. Finding them is finding ourselves.” (180) The very core of their identities and the memory of their children are brought forth by their intentional and consistent refusal to let those who committed violence and continue to commit violence go one single week without remembering their stories.