Days after the President of John Jay College returned from a zionist junket in Palestine with the CUNY Chancellor, the John Jay admin cancelled Palestine Lives 2022, an event commemorating the Nakba in latest display of anti-Palestinian racism at CUNY.
The cancellation of the event, organized by Within Our Lifetime and Existence is Resistance, is also seen by CUNY students as a form of retaliation as it comes less than two weeks after WOL, CUNY SJPs, students, faculty and staff held a protest against the recent zionist CUNY delegation to occupied Palestine.
For all those who planned on coming to the event, we share in your disappointment and anger towards the silencing of Palestinian speech once again and we encourage you to take action below: join us on the streets this Sunday May 15th at 1:00 pm in Bay ridge at the Nakba Day protest for an update on the situation at CUNY, a vigil for Shireen Abu Akleh and a day of political education, training, and workshops in the streets.
Take Action
Let CUNY Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez and John Jay President Karol Mason know that whitewashing the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people while attempting to silence commemoration of the Nakba is racist, discriminatory and unacceptable!
- Sign CUNY4Palestine’s petition calling on the CUNY administration to reverse its decision to cancel the Palestine Lives Conference 2022
- Email and tweet at CUNY Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez and John Jay President Karol Mason using the sample email and tweets below;
Contact Info
Félix Matos Rodríguez
@ChancellorCUNY
chancellor@cuny.edu
Karol Mason
@JohnJayPres
president@jjay.cuny.edu
Sample Email
Dear ______,
My name is ______, and I am a student/teacher/concerned person at ______.
I write in response to John Jay’s shameful decision to cancel the Palestine Lives event organized by Within Our Lifetime and Existence is Resistance commemorating the Nakba.
Your decision comes to us as no surprise as you have repeatedly committed yourselves to supporting the genocidal zionist entity, evidenced by your recent visit and work with those facilitating the oppression and genocide of the Palestinian people and your cancellation of this event.
Whitewashing the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people while attempting to silence students, professors, and activists who speak out against this genocide is racist, discriminatory, and outright unacceptable.
It is no coincidence that your decision to cancel the Palestine Lives event comes less than two weeks after WOL, CUNY SJPs, students, faculty, and staff held a protest against the recent zionist CUNY delegation to occupied Palestine. This is a clear retaliatory attempt to stifle and repress any organizing for the Palestinian liberation movement.
You do not represent us in your actions, and we unapologetically stand by Within Our Lifetime and Existence is Resistance in calling out the genocidal entity Israel for what it is- a European settler-colonial tool created for the purpose of ethnic cleansing, displacement, and national oppression of the indigenous Palestinian people.
John Jay must immediately reimburse Within Our Lifetime and Existence is Resistance for all the costs they have incurred in relying on John Jay’s false promise to fulfill its obligation to provide the space. It is incumbent on you to commit to speaking for justice in the positions you hold, a commitment you have failed repeatedly.
Sincerely,
______
Sample Tweets
@_____ Whitewashing the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people while attempting to silence commemoration of the Nakba is racist, discriminatory, and unacceptable! #PalestineLives #zionismOutOfCUNY
@_____ @JohnJayCollege’s shameful decision to cancel the #PalestineLives event organized by Within Our Lifetime and Existence is Resistance commemorating the Nakba is a clear retaliatory attempt to stifle and repress organizing for the Palestinian liberation movement. #zionismOutOfCUNY
@_____ @JohnJayCollege’s decision to cancel the #PalestineLives event commemorating the Nakba highlights @CUNY’s commitment to protecting zionism while excluding, silencing and oppressing Palestinian students, and the Palestinian people. #zionismOutOfCUNY
#zionismOutOfCUNY #FreePalestine #WithinOurLifetime #ExistenceIsResistance #Nakba74