Students Show Support for Divestment Proposal
Willa Dana ‘26
Photo courtesy of Vance Johnson.
On Friday March 1, the Sarah Lawrence Divestment Coalition organized a rally on the South Lawn for the divestment of funds from any SLC-affiliated organization that supports Israel either directly or indirectly to display student solidarity with Palestine.
Last month, the SLC Divestment Coalition drafted a divestment proposal to take to the Board of Trustees in order to show the institution that they do not support genocide and mass displacement of Indigenous peoples. “Our basic demands are that the school disclose where we are investing and accordingly withdraw any investments that appear to be complicit in or directly fund Israeli apartheid and the ongoing genocide of Palestinians,” said Alexandra Abramovitch ‘26, co-chair of SJP. “We also demand that the school take a firm stance in opposition to Israeli apartheid and state violence to set a precedent for other institutions to do the same.”
In a public social media statement, the SLC Divestment coalition wrote: “We envision a future in which Sarah Lawrence College divests from any and all stakes in Israeli apartheid and stands with the global community in calling for a ceasefire, an end to the occupation, and a free Palestine.”
The proposal received signatures from eight student groups (composed of SLC Students for Justice in Palestine, Sarah Lawrence Socialist Coalition, and SLC GROW, to name a few) who endorse its message. The proposal will eventually be reviewed by the Board of Trustees, though Abramovitch says that SJP is not sure when the review will begin.
On Friday morning, a large group of students gathered on the South Lawn to demonstrate their continued support for the divestment proposal, as well to urge President Cristle Collins Judd to join the call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire. After a brief speech, Ares Morris ‘24 and Anya Tucker ‘24 led the group into the campus center to engage in a peaceful rally. The students, carrying signs and Palestinian flags, filed into the building and gathered on the staircase. Tucker and Morris, along with other student leaders, led the group in a call and response song. The lyrics “Free Palestine, let Gaza live, ceasefire now” echoed throughout the room.
The students involved made their passion and dedication to the cause clear. “I think we’re all activists first. Our situation is exponentially less dire than any situation any Palestinian is in right now. So our priority is Palestine first and everything else second,” said Liam Sharif Montague ‘25.
The SLC Divestment Coalition aims to increase financial transparency between students and the administration in the future. Participating student Ella O’Connel ‘27 gave some insight into the next steps for the Divestment Coalition, saying: “We as students need to know where our resources are going. Something needs to be said. We aren’t going to stop until [the institution] gives us a response.”