UW-Madison Palestine Encampment & Protest
A few notes from this week
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I have been in online and offline organizing spaces for a couple of decades now. It has been exciting, inspiring and heartbreaking to bear witness to the recent campus protests occurring globally. The students at the campus I work at, University of Wisconsin-Madison, began their own encampment this past Monday. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee also began their encampment on the same day. I witnessed and participated this last week to support students and to support Palestine.
As so many others have said regarding the encampments: there was no violence until police (and/or Zionists) showed up. The encampments are beautiful examples of intentional community, care, and mutual aid.
On Wednesday, May Day, I was downtown on campus documenting and supporting the student protesters. I watched as police (including State Patrol) infiltrated and began tearing down students’ tents and destroying their belongings. I took video of Palestinian Professor Samer Alatout being singled out by cops, snatched, and roughly thrown to the ground. Later, this same day, I saw video of my comrades and coworkers, Dr. Sami Schalk and Dr. Kelly Ward getting handcuffed and taken out of the encampment area. Dr. Schalk was strangled by police (this is on video) and has a sprained shoulder and other injuries. Another co-worker, Dr. Annie Menzel was violently shoved by police and has multiple bruises. These are all badass Gender & Women’s Studies faculty.
As many of us took time to reflect that evening, it was clear that only faculty of color were actually arrested even as white faculty were right there next to them. This, while not necessarily surprising, is still infuriating.
The violence enacted by police and by Zionists is incredible. I’ve seen the videos from UCLA as Zionist mobs began attacking protesters. I’ve seen the brutality of cops at UT-Austin. I’ve watched the heavy police presence and force at Columbia University. Students pay enormous amounts of money to attend these institutions only to be met with countless acts of violence and harm. Students have continued to hold their ground. I weep for the fact that they even have to.
I remain in awe of student organizers across the country and globally. I remain inspired by their courage, their endless buckets of resolve, and their care and love for the Palestinian people and Palestinian land.
Palestine will be free in our lifetime.
(If you are at all affiliated with UW-Madison—staff, faculty, alumni, donor—please sign here. To read the letter of solidarity, please go here).
College Is an Education in Bullshit -
Immigrant-Led Organizing Points the Way to a Better World for All Workers - David Bennion & Adrianna Torres-García
“The Impossible Is Always Happening” | An Interview with Saree Makdisi - Rebecca Panovka & Kiara Barrow
Student Organizer: “We Have a Collective Responsibility to Insert the Word Palestine Everywhere” - Kelly Hayes
Who Is the Cartoon Child Seen on Palestinian Protest Signs? - Mukta Joshi
Why ‘girl’s girl’ feminism is bullshit - Halima Jibril
New book alert! I get to speak to the author later this summer for an event!
Decistifying trans and gender diverse inclusion in library work: a literature review - Keahi Adolpho & Stephen G. Krueger
This week’s jam:
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🍉🍉🍉🖤 thanks for documenting this watershed moment. And for the links/recs - consistently good, as always!