On April 18, students at Columbia University and Barnard College established the Gaza Solidarity Encampment, an occupation of shared campus space to call for divestment and Palestinian liberation. Here's a running list of solidarity actions on other U.S. campuses since Apr 18.🧵

I have never seen anything like this happen before at Columbia. There is no fear left among students. Organizers were arrested en masse & when I got out of jail, I was told students occupied another lawn on their own. Hundreds are willing to risk arrest. I am so filled with hope.

As a polyglot proficient in 10+ languages — including the difficult yet critical dialect of 'admin talk' — I thought it might be helpful for me to translate the email that our university president Minouche Shafik just sent to Columbia affiliates.

Here goes:

Student protesters, May 22, 1989, Tiananmen Square. Sometimes, when I close my eyes, I still see this photo and feel their hope.

wild thought: if you’re writing on behalf of an organization embroiled in criticism for not taking seriously the dehumanization of victims in an ongoing war & genocide, maybe, just maybe, don’t open and close with references to storks, squirrels, hawks, and ravens?!

1/ I’m an Israeli academic. My community is still too silent about the war in Gaza. Following my viral tweet last month, this is the updated & expanded version of how I see things based on >1000 articles and 1000s of videos/images of the war. 🧵of summary conclusions:

USC announced that valedictorian Asna Tabassum’s commencement speech has been canceled, stating it was “necessary to maintain the safety of our campus and students”

‘I am surprised that my own university has abandoned me,’ Tabassum said in a statement

uscannenbergmedia.com/2024/04/15/pro…

join us 🤗

I'm so moved by the writers withdrawing from PEN prize lists in solidarity with Palestine. As a debut author myself, I know winning such an award can be life-changing, and I deeply respect seeing this kind of solidarity in practice. Let's all order their books and support them.

new rule of thumb .... when you choose a twitter profile pic, be sure to ask yourself 'what will it look like as the hero image on a tabloid story'

don’t throw your eclipse glasses out!
2 ways to donate ☀️ 🌕 👓

by April 30:

bring to any Warby Parker location to donate to Astro w/o Borders

by Aug 1:

mail to below to donate to kids in Latin America for the August eclipse

Eclipse Glasses USA, LLC
PO Box 50571 Provo, UT 84605