Students for Justice in Palestine kicked off Palestinian Awareness Week as the parents of Rachel Corrie addressed a room of students to remember their activist daughter at the Humanities Building last night.
Through PowerPoint presentations and video, Craig and Cindy Corrie lectured on what they called the Israeli occupation and the circumstances in which their daughter Rachel died.
In 2003, Rachel Corrie, a 23-year-old activist, was run over by an Israeli bulldozer while protesting the demolition of a local pharmacist’s home.
This was the first event of the annual Palestine Awareness Week, titled “To Exist Is To Resist: Live Free.” Organizers said they hope the week’s series of events will shed light on what they believe is the underrepresented Palestinian perspective on the Arab-Israel conflict.
The weeklong event will feature lectures by speakers, an art gallery and a fundraiser banquet, which will all address topics such as genocide, war and eyewitness accounts of the ongoing struggle.
Salomon Hossein, a second-year international development studies student and member of Students for Justice in Palestine, which helped organize the event, said the event was intended to illuminate the struggles many Palestinians faced, something he believed the American news media routinely ignores.
“The American media portrays the Israeli side more often,” he said. “We’re here to raise awareness about the ongoing issues.”
He added, “So much hatred that comes from America in the Middle East comes from American support of Israel.”
He said that the motive and impetus behind this seemingly endless struggle are often personal.
“Palestinians have lives and their own culture and are being impeded of the normal activities that we take for granted,” Hossein said. “Many Palestinians feel their culture is being erased.”
The weeklong event coincides with Israeli celebrations for the May 14 Independence Day, which many Arabs lament.
“While Israel was celebrating their independence, Arabs were mourning the loss of their homeland,” Hossein said.
Ursula Barghouth, a second-year biology student and also a member of Students for Justice in Palestine, said her involvement stemmed from her grandmother, who was forced from her home and relocated to Jordan. “Most Palestinians have family members who have been involved with the conflict,” she said.
Hossein, an Afghani who admitted to being once partial toward the Israelis, said the event comes down to education.
“The event is catered towards those who have questions about the Arab-Israeli conflict,” Salomon said. “Our goal is to make people think more about the issue and to look into it themselves.”
Ziyad Khesbak, a second-year biology student and treasurer of the United Arab Society, said he was at the Corrie event to learn from the perspectives of people who have been directly affected by the conflict.