LILI KIM / ASST. NEWS EDITOR

In light of recent pro-Palestine demonstrations across the country, some USD community members are likewise expressing their stance on campus. On Wednesday, May 1, 2024, students, faculty and staff gathered on USD’s Paseo de Colachis for a requiem in tribute to Gaza. A “requiem” is a Mass or service honoring those who have passed, and is often demonstrated by the Roman Catholic church. As of May 6, the number of Palestininans killed as a result of this war nears 35,000, and increases daily. The event included a “die-in,” where participants laid on the grass to represent those killed in the conflict. During this time, various faculty members offered Orthodox, Christian, Catholic and Jewish mourning prayers to honor victims and their families. This included Theology and Religious Studies professors Dr. Rico Monge and Dr. Bahar Davary, History professor Dr. Ted Falk and Vice President         of        Mission      Integration Dr. Michael Lovette-Colyer. 

The  requiem was co-organized by independent students and the Gaza @ USD Faculty Coalition, a group of professors  that united in the Fall 2023 semester   in  response to the war outbreak in the Gaza Strip in Palestine.   Throughout the Fall 2023 and Spring 2024  semesters, the Gaza @ USD Faculty  Coalition organized a two-part “teach in,” which included weekly lectures and panel discussions   from professors around San Diego about various topics surrounding the conflict in the Middle East and justice for indigenous communities.

Following the die-in, students and community members gave speeches expressing   their stances on the injustices by the American government and academic institutions. Chants  led by student organizers included: “Palestine is our demand, no peace on stolen land” and “Not another nickel, not another dime, no more money for Israel’s crimes.” USD first-year students Shukriya Osman and Mumtaaz Elmi led the chants, which the crowd continued on a procession through campus to President James T. Harris’ office, where the group met   the   president  to deliver a petition. This protest comes after the Palestinian Solidarity Committee at USD’s protest on Nov. 16 during the fall semester.

“It’s been  a long time coming,” Osman said.  “Our  [The  Palestinian  Solidarity   Committee at USD] last protest was last semester. We did a petition, but there wasn’t  a   response   back from  the institution  so  we made an effort this   time  to literally  deliver    it to the president   himself.”

The petition is a joint statement  between the Palestinian Solidarity Committee at USD and the Palestinian Alliance for the USD Law School. In the statement, the groups ask the University  to   disclose any ties or funds the school is providing Israel and divest those funds. It also urges the school to end its study abroad program based in Israel, which Osman explained is an unjust opportunity as Palestinians themselves cannot return to their own country. 

“I hope that us protesting is educating more people about this topic, and I hope they reflect deeply and understand what position we’re coming from, which is a place of peace and justice,” Elmi explained.

President James T. Harris III was   one   of     the      many attendees of the protest  after  being    personally invited by the organizers.

“I think our students have set a positive standard of how to have civil conversations and dialogue,” Harris said. 

Harris left the protest before it was over  to    return back to his office and accept  the petition as it was delivered   to him by the student organizers. While his acceptance of the document does not entail his agreement to its terms, it demonstrates the president’s    willingness  to review it.

The  protest   was  also attended by dozens of undergraduate and graduate   students,    many   of whom wore black clothing, brought signs and waved Palestinian flags.  Likewise, a group of a dozen counter-protesters stood quietly nearby with Israeli and American flags   in opposition to  the event. Due to  the central   location of  the   protest on campus, many  students  happened  upon the event   spontaneously,   while others had been looking  forward to it since    it    was   announced, such as USD  first-year Mariana Reyes. 

“I was waiting for USD to do something   like       this,   so I was really excited and it   was a no-brainer for me to   come,” Reyes said. 

So far, no other protests are planned, but the Gaza @ USD Faculty  Coalition   and      Palestinian    student    organizations on campus will continue to have conversations about bringing awareness to the issues revolving around the conflict in Gaza. 

Students and faculty held an event at USD on May 1, which included prayers and a rally remembering the dead in Gaza. Emma-Kate Squires/The USD Vista