Maple Ridge Friends for Peace is hosting an Apartheid-Free Community Forum on Friday, March 6.
Participants will learn about the Apartheid-Free Communities movement, and its relevance to our own community. The Apartheid-Free network is a coalition of communities who pledge to work together to end Israeli apartheid.
“The goal of this community forum is to help inform community members about apartheid and its harms, as well as its global context and the apartheid-free movement’s connections to our local community’s values and responsibilities,” said Katrina Driver, Friends for Peace member and forum co-organizer.
Maple Ridge Friends for Peace is a signatory of the Apartheid-Free Communities Pledge, along with more than 1,000 other organizations worldwide, including businesses, schools, faith-based groups, labour unions, and cities.
The City of Burnaby, which along with Maple Ridge was one of the first Canadian municipalities to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, recently signed the pledge.
The community forum will feature two guest speakers:
• Jeedah Musleh grew up in Beit Sahour Palestine, and worked as a community musician and music curriculum developer with the Sabreen Association. She witnessed how music helped children process the continuous trauma of living under apartheid. Musleh is the lead organizer for Apartheid-Free Communities, and B.C. Physicians against Genocide.
• Philip Sherwood is a semi-retired writer and editor, and since his first trip to Palestine in 2012, he has been advocating for Palestinian human rights and self-determination. Sherwood’s most recent visit to Palestine was in April, 2025.
The evening will also include interactive dialogue, networking opportunities, entertainment, exhibits, and refreshments.
“We want to provide an opportunity for community members concerned about human rights to engage in dialogue and identify actions we can take,” said Driver.
The forum takes place at St. John the Divine Anglican Church, 21299 River Rd. Doors open at 5:45 p.m., and the event runs from 6:15 to 8:30 p.m. Admission is free or by donation, and all are welcome.