the place.

palestine is a place. on a map. eastern end of the mediterranean. people have lived there — continuously — for thousands of years.

this is not a religious claim. this is not a political position. this is a fact that predates every government currently arguing about it.

the palestinian people are an arab people with a distinct cultural identity. language, cuisine, embroidery, music, architecture. developed over centuries in this specific geography.

the history.

in 1948, approximately 750,000 palestinians were displaced from their homes. expelled by military force. fled direct violence. left under the assumption they could return.

they couldn't. the right of return, affirmed by un resolution 194, has never been implemented.

this is not ancient history. this is living memory. people who were there are still alive.

the culture.

tatreez — embroidery that documented village identity stitch by stitch. dabke — a line dance performed at celebrations. the olive harvest — an annual event palestinian families have participated in for generations.

this is not a heritage exhibit. this is what people do when they are allowed to exist in the place they are from.

culture is not separate from the land. you destroy one, you destroy the other.

the diaspora.

approximately 14 million palestinians in the world. fewer than half live in historic palestine. the rest are in jordan, lebanon, syria, and scattered across a global diaspora that includes chicago, where this brand was built.

displacement did not end in 1948. it is the ongoing condition of being palestinian.