Photos: Peace Action Fund of New York State
The following statement, calling for the support of student activists facing censorship attacks, for supporting the rights of Palestinians in college campuses, is from Peace Action Fund of New York State.
This semester has been a challenging time to be a young person and a peace activist. The brutal conflict in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories have shocked the world, touched our New York community in deeply personal ways, and weighed heavily on the hearts of the student organizers in our Campus Organizing Program. This conflict has also exposed divisions on campus and created a frightening environment for students who dare to speak out against war.
Despite all of this, student activists in the PAFNYS Campus Organizing Program have persevered in their commitment to advocating for what they believe is right — by marching, participating in walk-outs, hosting informational events on campus, and joining with local Peace Action New York State community chapters to attend demonstrations in New York and in D.C.
Peace Action Fund of New York State (PAFNYS) believes that young people are the future of the peace movement. That’s why we founded the Campus Organizing Program in 2011 to support student activists on New York college campuses, and why we’ve spent the last 12 years providing mentorship and educational opportunities to young peace activists across New York State. It’s also why we encourage our campus organizers to focus their organizing efforts around the issues that mean the most to them. In recent months, this has often meant joining their peers in speaking out for a ceasefire in Gaza.
It hasn’t been easy speaking out this semester. Countless news articles have discussed the tense environment on campuses across the country, as well as the “chilling effect” of intimidation and censorship on students’ right to free expression. Students have faced doxxing, harassment, and even violent threats for standing up for what they believe in. It takes bravery to stand up for peace in the current moment.
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