By Celeste Arbelaez
Adelphi’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Panthers for Progress held a joint protest in front of the University Center on Thursday, Sept. 12. The organizations called for the university’s complete and total divestment from Israeli goods and services, as well as any investments it may have made in companies connected to Israel. This comes just five months after SJP’s first divestment protest, which took place on April 29.
Both organizations took to Instagram to inform the community in advance about their plans to demonstrate. In their post, they outlined four demands: 1) the disclosure of all the university’s financial records; 2) divestment from any and all companies they deem complicit in what they consider to be the genocide of the Palestinian people; 3) the reform of the university’s hate speech policies, student code of conduct and department procedures; and 4) the removal of all Israeli flags currently present on campus. The two groups also encouraged participants to be aware of Nassau County’s recently passed mask ban, which prohibits those engaging in public protest from wearing a mask to obscure their identity. (Refer to “Nassau County Mask Ban.")
The proceedings began in the afternoon when a total of 15 students from both organizations assembled before the front entrance of the University Center. Within minutes, a crowd of roughly 20 onlookers gathered beside the Hagedorn Hall of Enterprise. The first speaker at the protest was a sophomore ethics and public policy major, Hayaa Beig, the president of SJP. She explained the rationale behind the protest’s demands.
“We want to assure that none of our hard-earned tuition money is going towards the atrocities that are being committed in Palestine today,” she said.
Sophomore nursing major Oliva Landis also voiced her intention to “raise awareness, to get people talking and to get people to educate themselves about the genocide occurring in Palestine right now.”
Students had mixed reactions to the demonstration and its message. One passerby, sophomore Benjamin Eppel, took a strong issue with the group’s approach.
“I think it’s infringing upon peoples’ peace, and I don't think it’s right with everyone,” he said. “It’s spreading hate, that's what it’s doing.”
Zeantae Wilmot, a second-year student, disagreed. “I don't think it's hateful. They’re not really saying anything hateful. They’re just chanting for what they believe in, and it’s not anything too crazy.”
Lyudmila Byzzheva, an associate professor of bilingual and multicultural education in the College of Education and Health Sciences, saw the demonstration as an opportunity for more dialogue about the conflict. “Read what you see,” said Byzzheva. “What do you see? What do you hear?”
She continued, “Our university has not taken a stance, has not addressed the students, and has not, to my knowledge, organized any forums to bring people together to talk about the U.S. sponsored extermination of human beings. I would be willing to be in a well-moderated space with people of opposing views. But, to my knowledge, we have not had such a space. Why not?”
However, according to Sentwali Bakari, vice president for Student Affairs and Diversity Equity Inclusion and Belonging, Adelphi University has publicly denounced anti-semitism, anti-Muslim sentiment, violence, terrorism and intolerance in all its forms.
“Members of Adelphi’s administration have engaged in ongoing conversations with the Students for Justice in Palestine before their demonstrations and met with the group in May 2024 to discuss the group’s requests. Adelphi continues to keep the lines of communication open with all student groups, including SJP, and any concerned student or parent,” he said.
In addition, during the week of Oct. 21-25, Adelphi will host its second annual Freedom of Expression Symposium. Bakari said this five-day event aims to facilitate meaningful discussions and promote an understanding of freedom of expression, particularly in a university setting.
For Beig, organizing demonstrations is part of a life-long passion for activism.
“It’s always been something that is close to my heart,” she said. “I do believe that it’s a matter of human rights, and it's a matter of humanity and standing up for justice. I think that should apply to everyone. And I think that Palestinian liberation is one of the most important things and it's also the first step to collect liberation for everyone in places like Sudan, the Congo, Kashmir and Hawaii.”
She said she was satisfied with the turnout at the Sept. 12 event and was proud of the efforts made by both her group and Panthers for Progress. “We had a lot of people looking on, so hopefully, we were able to spread the message about Palestinian liberation and collective liberation,” she said.
The organizations stated that they are going to continue to spread their voices and awareness. (See the article by Emily Hakimian, president and founder of Students Supporting Israel SSI on page 10.)
Hussein Ali Rifath contributed to this article.
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