Students for Justice in Palestine is at the center of this story, naturally.
The Massachusetts Daily Collegian reports:
Smith College students and alumni protest for divestmentOn Friday, Feb. 28, over 100 Smith College students and community members gathered outside the college’s Alumnae House during the board of trustees’ meeting to protest Smith College’s investment in weapons manufacturing companies.The rally began on the snow-covered earth of Chapin Lawn around 4:30 p.m., where people gathered with signs and banners before marching to the Alumnae House.Jenin, an organizer for Smith College Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and a sociology and environmental science major at Smith College, explained what compelled her to show up at the protest.“The money that my family has worked really hard for to get me to this school is being funded to bomb my flesh and blood, my other relatives in Gaza,” Jenin said.Jenin’s speech was punctuated by shouts of “shame” at board of trustee members walking into the Alumnae House. Demonstrators chanted “disclose, divest” until the board member entered the building.Dylan Jordan, a Jewish student at Smith and an organizer for Smith SJP, expressed their anger with the institution conflating antisemitism and anti-Zionism. Jordan claims the college uses this as an excuse not to divest.“I think it’s a disgusting perversion of my religion and my cultural background, and I don’t want my institution to be funding the genocide of people in my religion’s name,” Jordan said.Some speeches were delivered by the Fort Hill Teachers Union and Alumnae for Justice in Palestine (AJP), while the event was hosted by Smith SJP. The event had a large emphasis on community building, with Jordan encouraging people to “get involved however they’re comfortable with.”The crowd also sang along to protest songs with musician Ben Grosscup, a performer who sings about revolutionary and social movements.
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