As part of our 25th Anniversary celebrations in New York City in November of 2025, Firelight Media hosted Gathering Fire: Solidarity Through Word, Image, and Song. This day-long program of curated conversations and performances invited guests to reimagine solidarity as an active, daily practice. Through the lens of documentary media and artistic and cultural production, we moved beyond fear-based notions of scarcity and suspicion to uncover the shared histories, dreams, and forms of resistance that bind communities of color together. We created a space to listen deeply, feel collectively, and deepen the difficult, beautiful work of becoming accountable to one another—across borders, beyond fear, toward liberation.

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The event included panel discussions and performances on the hard work – and the joy – of building solidarity. Panelists and performers included:

• Aisha ‘Ish’ Al-Hurra, Poet and Artist-in-Residence, Intelligent Mischief (Performance)‍
• Karim Ahmad, Founder of The Utopia Studio (Solidarity Roundtable)‍
• Assia Boundaoui, Firelight-supported Filmmaker (The Feeling of Being Watched) ‍(Solidarity Roundtable)‍
• Amy Goodman, Journalist and Host, Democracy Now! (Speaking Truth to Power)‍
• Athena Jones, Independent Journalist and Firelight-supported Filmmaker ‍(Speaking Truth to Power)‍
• Loira Limbal, Filmmaker and President & CEO, Firelight Media ‍(Solidarity Roundtable)‍
• Kristen Lovell, Filmmaker, The Stroll ‍ (Solidarity Roundtable)‍
• Rami Nashashibi, Executive Director, Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) (Black x Palestinian Solidarity) ‍
• Stanley Nelson, Filmmaker and Firelight Media Co-Founder & Lead Mentor (Speaking Truth to Power)‍
• rashid shabazz, Firelight Media Board Chair and Executive Director, Critical Minded (Black x Palestinian Solidarity)‍
• Marcia Smith, Firelight Media Co-Founder (Black x Palestinian Solidarity)‍
• Nicole Solis-Sison, Brand Director & Producer (Solidarity Roundtable)‍
• Mato Wayuhi, Musician, Actor, and Composer (Performance)

Firelight Media-supported filmmaker, writer, and curator Farihah Zaman authored this Case Study with key findings and takeaways from the program, with graphic illustrations by Claud Li of ImageThink.