Dear UD family and peers,

We hope you are all healthy and safe, physically and emotionally. We’ve been through a long year of trials and tribulations, with the pandemic and increasing awareness about various social issues.

We, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP at UD), have taken the time to reflect on the lack of acknowledgment and recognition that the UD Administration has granted to the Palestinian struggle both, on the ground and in the diaspora. It is not surprising that the University of Delaware has brushed away 4 weeks of an escalation of violence in Occupied Palestine, as most academic institutions in the United States adopt a "two-sided-conflict" narrative to the Occupation. However, it is not appropriate on our end to simply accept defeat.

If the University of Delaware truly wishes to proceed as an institution dedicated to promoting anti-racism, as shown by their recently adopted initiative, it is imperative that the University understand how Zionism exists today as a racist ideology, and how it facilitates itself through a political movement contingent on the erasure of Palestinians on the basis of their racialized identity (being Palestinian) for the purpose of ensuring a specific demographic.

Things have to change. We are not here to demand performative action. We are here to demand substantial, first steps towards genuine inclusivity and liberation through our academic institutions.

We ask students, faculty, and our peers, friends, and family in the community to join us in calling for the university to stand in solidarity with Palestinians and their struggle, to recognize and explain the erasure of Palestinian identity on campus, and to put in the effort to ensure that Palestinian scholarship and a genuine understanding of the Occupation is included on campus.

We ask that you join us in calling on the university to explain the peculiar and alienating treatment towards a recent Palestinian graduate—which the letter expands upon—and to address the concerns with serious consideration. Additionally, we ask that you join us in calling on the university to address, in all seriousness, the demands set forth at the end of the letter.

SJP at UD exists for the purpose of working towards the liberation and decolonization of Palestine AND ensuring that Palestinians on campus are treated with the same respect, dignity, and worth. It is imperative that a commitment to civic responsibility, anti-racism, and social justice be inclusive of Palestinians, their voices, and their rights.

Therefore, we ask you to join SJP at UD by signing this letter to the UD community and administration.

Here's a link to the full letter: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1V1zY1uuWMmkEyoPoo6-UPvd62eDF64DpdCFWzPXUJVE/edit?usp=sharing