Jill Stein speaks at the University of Arkansas. | Photo credit: Lauren Davidson
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — October 7, 2023, was a day that affected many people worldwide. On this day, the Palestinian group Hamas brutally attacked Israel and took many Israelis as hostages, causing Israel to declare war. Their subsequent campaign against Hamas left Gaza in a state of destruction and despair.
For many students at the University of Arkansas, this devastation prompted them to fight for justice in the only way they knew how. From 6,700 miles away, students gathered together, including Abdullah Asif and Leen, two founders of the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at the University of Arkansas.
The University of Arkansas chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, or SJP, was established in response to the events of 2023, but their first event didn’t take place until 2024. Since then, the group has increased in size and momentum.
This registered student organization’s commitment to fighting for justice in Palestine was recently showcased in an event where they hosted former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein. The event with Stein took place almost a month after a breakthrough in Gaza. A call for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect on Oct. 10.
The agreement was supposed to pause military violence. However, while speaking about the ceasefire, Stein expressed her distrust in the agreement based on the history of ceasefire violations in Israel.
“It’s like a joke that the media says, the ceasefire holds. It’s just interrupted,” Stein said. “A few times a day, it’s interrupted, and still, they say the ceasefire holds.”
Leen, who asked to be identified only by her first name for fear of repercussions, spoke on behalf of the chapter and shared the initial reaction to the news of a ceasefire: “We were very excited for the Palestinians… they finally got a little bit of peace.”
However, both Leen and Asif recognized that the fight for justice did not end here. While grateful for the agreement, they both voiced the fact that a big concern was the loss of momentum.
“We were also very concerned that momentum would die down,” Leen said.
Asif said that even with the ceasefire, the severe hunger and mass displacement situation has “gotten more dire as we progress in the timeline.”
The distance and magnitude of the situation call for a lot of support within the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter. Leen said that the biggest way the group supports one another is by simply being there for each other, cultivating the “kind of solidarity in community” that SJP was founded for.
Students attending an SJP event. Photo: Lauren Davidson
To keep momentum up and remain relevant around campus, SJP focuses on hosting diverse events. Beyond the Jill Stein lecture, they participate in cultural fairs and set up educational tables around campus.
A recent example was at discussion about the civil war in Sudan held on Nov. 18. This event was open to anyone and allowed them “to tie in all global injustices” and “make sure all voices are heard,” Leen said.
This wider view of justice is a key principle in SJP because they believe “No one can be free until everyone is free,” Leen explained.
For Asif, being a part of SJP has been an opportunity for him to learn, grow, and teach. He has learned the values of group advocacy, as well as small-scale conversations and respectful debates.
Both Asif and Leen made it very clear that the ceasefire is not the end goal. “A ceasefire isn’t the final goal… It’s just the beginning,” Leen said. They understand that achieving lasting justice is a time-consuming commitment that will all be worth it in the end.
“We’re just going to continue to plant seeds,” Leen concluded. “It’s a long-term process. It’s not like the change is going to happen tomorrow.”