August 24, 2016

Black Lives Matter.

We, the undersigned chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)*, unequivocally support the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) and its newly released policy platform for “Black power, freedom, and justice.” We fully endorse M4BL’s demands and take this moment to renew our commitment to fighting antiblackness as well as all systems of oppression that disenfranchise and oppress Black communities.

We hear M4BL’s call for societal transformation –– from self-determination and investment in Black education to universal healthcare and civil rights protections for queer, trans, and non-binary Black communities –– and for an end to the centuries of violence against Black peoples. We recognize and condemn the harm caused by colonialism, militarization, incarceration, surveillance, resource theft and destruction, and erasure to Black communities in the US and around the world. In affirming that Black lives and Black liberation matter, we aim not only to uphold those working alongside us in the US but also those pursuing Black freedom globally. Accordingly, we pledge to uplift Black voices, including those of Afro-Palestinians, and to root out antiblackness as we continue to build our movements.

We are moved by the platform’s recognition of Israel’s apartheid laws, illegal settlements, segregated road systems and military checkpoints, punitive home demolitions, and prison system, through which Palestinians, including children, are routinely subject to harassment and torture. As campus organizers, we also welcome M4BL’s endorsement of Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS), particularly given the current climate of anti-boycott legislation that we face, and we echo its acknowledgment of the US’s culpability in the Israeli occupation of Palestine, notably through military aid, diplomatic support, and investment in private prison companies.

While the struggles of Palestinians and Black people are not identical, we recognize that the same systems and structures contribute to global oppression. To envision and build a world rooted in liberation, we must and will carry forward the legacies of Black and Palestinian solidarity. “Our collective futures depend on it.”

We are steadfast in our support of Black liberation, and urge others in the Palestine solidarity movement to share and endorse the platform and take action.

In reaffirmed solidarity,

American University Students for Justice in Palestine
Athens for Justice in Palestine (University of Georgia)
Boston University Students for Justice in Palestine
Brandeis University Students for Justice in Palestine
Brooklyn College Students for Justice in Palestine
Brown University Students for Justice in Palestine
Bryn Mawr College Voices for Palestine
California State University–Fullerton Students for Justice in Palestine
Carleton College Students for Justice in Palestine
​City University of New York–Hunter College Palestine Solidarity Alliance
Cleveland State University Students for Justice in Palestine
​Columbia University Students for Justice in Palestine
Cornell University Students for Justice in Palestine
DePaul University Students for Justice in Palestine
Drew University Students for Justice in Palestine
Earlham College Students for Justice in Palestine
Eastern Michigan University Students for Justice in Palestine
​Emory University Students for Justice in Palestine
The Evergreen State College Students for Justice in Palestine
Florida International University Students for Justice in Palestine
Florida State University Students for Justice in Palestine
Fordham University Students for Justice in Palestine
George Mason University Students Against Israeli Apartheid
The George Washington University Students for Justice in Palestine
Georgetown University Students for Justice in Palestine
Hampshire College Students for Justice in Palestine
Harvard College Palestine Solidarity Committee
Harvard Law School Justice for Palestine
Haverford College Students for Justice in Palestine
Indiana University–Purdue University of Indianapolis Students for Justice in Palestine
John Jay College of Criminal Justice Students for Justice in Palestine
Loyola University–Chicago Students for Justice in Palestine
Marquette University Students for Justice in Palestine
Michigan State University Students for Justice in Palestine
The New School Students for Justice in Palestine
New York University Students for Justice in Palestine
Northeastern University Students for Justice in Palestine
Northwestern University Students for Justice in Palestine
NYC SJP
​Oberlin College Students for a Free Palestine
The Ohio State University Students for Justice in Palestine
Palestine@MIT
Penn State University Students for Justice in Palestine
Rutgers University–New Brunswick Students for Justice in Palestine
Sacramento State University Students for Justice in Palestine
San Diego State University Students for Justice in Palestine
Santa Clara University Students for Justice in Palestine
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago Students for Justice in Palestine
Smith College Students for Justice in Palestine
St. Joseph's College Students for Justice in Palestine
Stanford University Students for Justice in Palestine
Swarthmore College Students for Peace and Justice in Palestine
Temple University Students for Justice in Palestine
Tufts University Students for Justice in Palestine
University of California–Berkeley Students for Justice in Palestine
University of California–Davis Students for Justice in Palestine
University of California–Irvine Students for Justice in Palestine
University of California–Los Angeles Students for Justice in Palestine
University of California–San Diego Students for Justice in Palestine
University of California–Santa Barbara Students for Justice in Palestine
University of California–Santa Cruz Students for Justice in Palestine
University of Central Florida Students for Justice in Palestine
University of Chicago Students for Justice in Palestine
University of Cincinnati Students for Justice in Palestine
University of Dayton Students for Justice in Palestine
University of Houston Students for Justice in Palestine
​University of Illinois–Chicago Students for Justice in Palestine
University of Illinois–Urbana Champaign Students for Justice in Palestine
University of Louisville Students for Justice in Palestine
University of Maryland–College Park Students for Justice in Palestine
University of Massachusetts–Amherst Students for Justice in Palestine
​University of Michigan–Ann Arbor Students Allied for Freedom and Equality
University of Michigan–Dearborn Students for Justice in Palestine
University of Minnesota Students for Justice in Palestine
University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill Students for Justice in Palestine
University of North Florida Students for Justice in Palestine
University of Pennsylvania Penn Students for Justice in Palestine
University of South Carolina Students for Justice in Palestine
University of South Florida Students for Justice in Palestine
University of Southern California Students for Justice in Palestine
University of Texas–Arlington Students for Justice in Palestine
University of Texas–Austin Palestine Solidarity Committee
University of Washington Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights
University of Wisconsin–Madison Students for Justice in Palestine
Vassar College Students for Justice in Palestine
Washington University (St. Louis) Students for Justice in Palestine
​Wayne State University Students for Justice in Palestine
Wellesley College Students for Justice in Palestine
Wesleyan University Students for Justice in Palestine
Williams College Students for Justice in Palestine

*The signatory list is in progress. In order to release the statement in a timely manner, we will continue seeking signatures after its release.