2023-2024: UChicago United for Palestine
Since Israel escalated its occupation of Gaza to an active genocide after October 7th, 2023, organizers at UChicago have been mobilizing in solidarity with Palestine and to demand that UChicago divest from Israeli institutions and weapons manufacturers that arm the genocide.
Fall
Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) put out a call to join them in holding a permanent presence on the quad by tabling daily. Every day, students and non-students came together to show support for Palestine and build community on the quad. People began holding actions like rallies, marches, art builds, die-ins, teach-ins, vigils, and banner drops.
SJP, Care Not Cops, UChicago Against Displacement, Environmental Justice Task Force, and National Lawyers Guild UChicago formed the coalitional group UChicago United for Palestine (UCUP). This was a continuation of UChicago United, a past coalition of campaigns (#EthnicStudiesNow, #CommunityCentersNow, and #CareNotCops) led by students of color.
UCUP launched with an hour-long blockade of administrative building Levi Hall. Admin used this blockade as an excuse to put Students for Justice in Palestine on disciplinary probation.
Students then occupied Rosenwald Hall, the admissions building. The condition for ending the sit-in was a public meeting with President Paul Alivisatos, but admin chose to have 26 students and 2 faculty arrested by UCPD instead. The community protested outside for over 5 hours in the evening during the arrests.
Winter
Organizers continued to table and hold direct actions for Palestine through winter quarter, adding more groups to the UCUP coalition. University administrators and police continued to harass pro-Palestine students, particularly Black, visibly Muslim, and Arab students.
Spring
In May, UCUP joined the international student movement of Palestine solidarity encampments by launching the UChicago Popular University for Gaza, an encampment on the Main Quad. Coalitional demands were to divest, disclose, and repair: divestment from weapons contractors, Israeli institutions, fossil fuel companies, and police, disclosing the endowment, police budget, and land holdings, and reparations for Gaza and the South Side. For a week, students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members occupied part of the quad with tents, free food, teach-ins, rallies, art, and more. They also raised the Palestinian flag on the quad's flagpole. They faced continuous repression from Zionist doxxers and a white supremacist counter-rally that led to a three hour blockade defending the camp. During the week, police arrested three people at and around the camp, all of whom were Black. In negotations, administrators were unwilling to even acknowledge scholasticide in Gaza. After a week, the University sent police in riot gear to raid the camp at 4:30 am. Cops destroyed art and property, pinned students to the ground, and pushed people off the quad.
After, the University tried to withhold diplomas from six students affiliated with the encampment. Due to organizing efforts and public pressure, these students were able to graduate with their diplomas after months of delay.
Students also came together to host a graduation ceremony for the UChicago Popular University for Gaza, honoring graduating students, mourning martyred students in Gaza, and reaffirming a commitment to continue to build and organize for Palestine and liberation.
Organizers continued to mobilize for Palestine for the rest of the year, notably holding rallies throughout alumni weekend, including an autonomous action by alumni during which they occupied the Institute of Politics for an evening, as well as a walkout of graduation.
We will not stop until Palestine is free.
