The Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) is a loosely-connected network of autonomous chapters, with the first SJP dating back to the 1990s at the University of California, Berkeley, according to a New York Times article. Leslie Kramer, ‘27, started a chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine at Meredith Campus called Meredith Students for Justice in Palestine. Kramer discusses how she hopes to grow this club so that by the time she is a senior, she can pass it on to someone else.
SJP has assumed a leading role in the Palestinian protests that have swept through colleges across America in recent months, according to NBC. Students for Justice in Palestine have led an anti-war demonstration and other pro-Palestinian demonstrations on Meredith’s campus in front of SMB.
Kramer discussed the challenge of feeling that she is actually impacting people. She finds the most challenging thing about her activism work is “being on a private campus.” She also feels that because Meredith and institutions in general try to be neutral, “it is hard to get people involved in a club that champions a cause,” as there is this idea that “to be professional [individuals] have to be neutral.” In reality, Kramer shared that she believes “to be professional, [people] have to recognize the realities and understand differing perspectives and opinions,” even if people disagree. Initially, Kramer perceived the impact made on this campus as small. However, she now asserts that Meredith SJP has already forged connections with Duke SJP, NC State SJP, and UNC SJP.Kramer added that she believes SJP is “not here for politics. [SJP is] here for humanity.”
In the short term, the goal of Students for Justice in Palestine is to “create a community surrounding the issue, so students can feel safe to learn and participate in activism together.” Students and members of Students for Justice in Palestine frequently carpool together to protests in downtown Raleigh. Long term, the goal is “to establish justice for the Palestinian people.” Ultimately, Kramer shared that the “goal is to create solidarity over the issue and is to educate others and connect people who are united with the same goal of combating injustice.”
The Meredith SJP Instagram page has arguably gained a significant amount of attention on social media, with one post surpassing 900 likes. Additionally, more students have been attending the member meetings and more involved with the club according to Kramer. Next Thursday, Feb. 15 from 6 p.m. to 7p.m., the Students for Justice in Palestine will be hosting a night for students to get together and learn about the common symbols used by the pro-Palestinian movement and collaborate to create protest posters. In April, there will be Open Mic night, a chance for people to get together to share poetry and speeches about the rich Palestinian culture.
Kramer wanted to reiterate what the club stands for, saying “This is not a political issue. It is a human issue. Every single human has a right to a quality life. This is what [the club is] fighting for.” She added that “To truly engage with the issue [individuals] have to understand that this is a human rights issue. It is not about borders or religion. It is simply about caring about other people.” Kramer shared that SJP at Meredith “are fighting for justice for everyone. It is made up of people from all backgrounds and experiences.”
By Salma Emjaheed, Contributing Writer
Graphic by Shae-Lynn Henderson, EIC