March 2, 1995
Solidarity. This word echoed through speeches and poetry from representatives of four student organizations on Feb. 27 in Malcolm X Plaza.
The message was that "we all have the same struggle," said Sandra Vega-Hernandez, a La Raza member.
That struggle is for peace and awareness of the dynamics in the peace process, not just for Palestinians but for all people, according Fedah Dahdul, a key speaker for the General Union of Palestinian Students.
GUPS' event, along with the support of La Raza, the Asian Student Union and Pan Afrikan Student Union, commemorated the Hebron Massacre. The event marked the one year anniversary of the massacre, which was Feb. 25, 1994.
On that day, during the holy month of Ramadan, a New York born Israeli man named Goldstein walked into Il-Ibrahimi, a Palestinian Mosque, and opened fire on Palestinians while they were kneeling in prayer, according to the first speaker Khaled Jamal, a GUPS coordinator.
"What happened a year ago was a terrible, terrible thing and there is no excuse for it. It was a real blow to the peace process," said Julie Saxe of Hillel, a Jewish student organization, who came to see GUPS' presentation.
Thirty-eight people died in the massacre. The Palestinian people captured the terrorist themselves, with no help from the army who occupied the area. The people who stopped the man were arrested for murder and sent to prison with no due process of law, according to speaker Ashraf Morrar, a GUPS coordinator.
The organization wants the campus community to become aware of the situation that still exists in the Middle East.
GUPS members wore Kuwffias, which are black and white shawls worn by Palestinians to represent solidarity in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
"We want people to know that the Palestinian peace process is not working. We want to bring an alternative cultural awareness to the students, (other than what is portrayed by the media)," Dahdul said.
The massacre happened after the signing of a peace treaty, according to Morrar.
What has been written down on paper is not necessarily what is being carried out, according to Morrar.
"The Palestinians are still under military occupation," Morrar said. "Paper is not reality."
Franz Gwiazdon Julio of La Raza read a poem in Spanish about people's need for unity. Julio also read a poem titled "Slash." He asked the crowd, "Will you drop your slash?" meaning we all have a slash, like the one between Chicano/Latino, and without it we have a chance for solidarity, he said.
Internship Coordinator Elizabeth Suk, who represented the ASU, read three poems. The poems showed ASU's solidarity with GUPS. One of the poems, "Reflections," written by Suk read: "Your struggle, my struggle, our struggle."
Troy Nkrumah, a speaker representing PASU, also voiced his support for GUPS. "We stand here in solidarity," Nkrumah said.
Hillel member Saxe said she feels there is potential for a strong relationship between GUPS and Hillel to be developed, because they are joined by the issue of solidarity.