A small office space in downtown Dallas, called the Museum of Asian Texans<\/a> since it opened earlier this year, became a bustling community archiving workshop Saturday as community members gathered to learn how to preserve their Palestinian history and the importance of remembering their families\u2019 pasts. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re recognizing that if we don\u2019t tell our stories, then our stories won\u2019t be heard,\u201d said Nidaa Lafi, a member of the Palestinian Youth Movement.<\/p>\n Breaking News<\/p>\n By signing up, you agree to our\u00a0Terms of Service<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n Stephanie Drenka, co-founder of the Dallas Asian American Historical Society, spoke during “Threads of Our Homeland,” an interactive workshop to preserve and archive historical artifacts by the Dallas Asian American Historical Society and Palestinian Youth Movement Dallas, on Dec. 13 at the Museum of Asian Texans in Dallas. <\/p>\n Shafkat Anowar \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n \u201cThreads of Our Homeland,\u201d hosted jointly by the DAAHS and the PYM, brought dozens to the museum space to photograph family heirlooms, digitize family photos and document their history. <\/p>\n \u201cThroughout our history, we have seen culture learned, shared and transmitted across generations. Culture is the essence of a community,\u201d said Ebba Anayah, member of the PYM in Dallas, at Saturday\u2019s workshop. \u201cWe see our culture and history being stripped away from us. \u2026 We are here today to resist that.\u201d<\/p>\n Following a Hamas-led attack in 2023 on southern Israel, Israel\u2019s two-year campaign<\/a> has killed more than 70,650 Palestinians<\/a>, roughly half of them women and children, according to the territory\u2019s Health Ministry, The Associated Press reports<\/a>. Much of Gaza has been destroyed, and most of the population of over 2 million has been displaced, according to the AP. <\/p>\n Related<\/p>\n Attendees brought clothing passed down from Palestinian family members, posters and T-shirts from protests<\/a>, newspaper clippings detailing significant events and family immigration documents \u2014 items from Palestine or shaped by the Palestinian diaspora. <\/p>\n \u201cThe reason why [we] are so adamant about archiving our own histories is because we know that a lot of it is either actively being erased or has been already erased,\u201d Bawab said. <\/p>\n On folding tables and chairs holding pamphlets, stickers, archival boxes and books, attendees shared stories from their past and ate savory pies from Ramallah Bakery in Richardson. Some wrote letters to Yaa\u2019kub Ira Vijandre,<\/a> a fixture at Dallas-area pro-Palestine protests who faces deportation, and other community members detained by ICE<\/a>. <\/p>\n Related<\/p>\n \u201cFor us, preserving our culture, preserving our history, preserving our stories, is part of our fight for liberation,\u201d Lafi said. <\/p>\n Community archiving is \u201cthe participation of the community in documenting and making accessible their history on their own terms,\u201d Drenka said. <\/p>\n She saw the value of community archiving in her own life. A Korean adoptee, she began collecting documents and items from her past and from those in the Asian American community in Dallas to help tell their history. A collection that began with a menu and matchbook became an exhibition<\/a> detailing local Asian American history through the legacy of Chinese restaurateurs.<\/p>\n Related<\/p>\n![\"Stephanie](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2OBIKXLMMNHNFKNI4JVWT3FNT4.jpg\")
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