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Students and community members gathered in the MS building auditorium on Wednesday, Feb. 19 for a teach-in on free speech, resistance and solidarity with Palestine.
The event, hosted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations San Diego, Students for Justice in Palestine and the Chicanx Studies Department, highlighted the role of student activism in historical social movements.
Samar Ismail, a UC San Diego graduate and community organizer with CAIR, led the discussion, urging students to recognize their influence as catalysts for change.
“You have so much power as students,” Ismail said. “It’s possible to be vessels of change, and I want you all to tap into this.”
The discussion detailed the 1968 East Los Angeles high school walkouts for Chicano rights, the North Carolina A&T sit-ins during the civil rights movement and the Berkeley Free Speech Movement. Ismail drew parallels between past and present, noting that student activism remains a driving force for social change.
Alongside a history lesson on activism, the teach-in encouraged attendees to reflect on the meaning of activism, protest, and resistance. Organizers emphasized that activism can take various forms, from organizing and protesting to writing and education.
Ismail criticized institutions for attempting to suppress student activism through campus design and administrative policies.
“Students are so powerful that they’re willing to change the entire architecture of a campus to suppress your student movements,” she said, referencing structural changes at UCSD meant to discourage encampments.
The teach-in motivated several students from Chicanx studies to show up and speak up about activism. One of the students in the Chicanx Studies group who felt obligated to speak up, was Geraldine Jimenez.
“I feel very moved to take action on campus,” Jimenez said. “I think what we need most right now is community.”
The event concluded with a call to action, as event leaders encouraged students to engage in activism, join student government and organize on campus.
Ismail urged attendees to take inspiration from past movements and continue pushing for Palestinian solidarity.
“It started with one student at the Free Speech Movement in Berkeley, four students at the Greensboro sit-ins,” she said. “Imagine the change that all of you can make.”
For more activism, the Students for Justice in Palestine is meeting Thursday, Feb. 27 at the corner of C and 16th St. for a flash mob protest and Dabke dance in solidarity with Palestine.
