"I really appreciate that you brought attention to Belly, being one of many talented Palestinian Canadians. It is important for Canadian audiences to hear and read about the stories of immigrants from diverse backgrounds."
June 1, 2023
To:
Amelia Eqbal, Journalist, CBC Arts
Dear Ms. Eqbal,
I’m writing to you on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, https://www.cjpme.org) to thank you for your article titled “Belly used to imagine Jay-Z’s feedback while writing lyrics. Now, he gets it in real-time” published by CBC on May 31, 2023.
Your article highlights Palestinian-Canadian rapper Belly and his journey to fame. I really appreciate that you brought attention to Belly, being one of many talented Palestinian Canadians. It is important for Canadian audiences to hear and read about the stories of immigrants from diverse backgrounds.
However, I was a little disappointed to see that Belly’s Palestinian-Canadian identity was only mentioned in the second-to-last paragraph of the article, considering that his experience as a Palestinian immigrant in Canada is central to his music. Further, Palestinian identity is often pushed to the margins and not emphasized enough by mainstream media.
As such I ask that you add his Palestinian-Canadian identity in the first sentence of your article: “Palestinian-Canadian rapper singer-songwriter and producer Belly has been making music for almost two decades…”
Thank you in advance for making these changes. Should you wish, you can contact me at 438-380-5410 for more information.
Sincerely,
Reem Majid
Policy Analyst, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East
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