'We have two options now: dying or dying.'

This was a text message that Salahaldin (Salah) Eleyan received from his brother from Northern Gaza, Palestine.

On Thursday, November 16, I attended a “huelga estudantil” (student strike) held in Madrid, Spain, in support of Palestine. I was amazed to look out at the crowd and see such a diversity of young faces ranging from middle school students to university-age young adults. It was a truly diverse coalition of young people who were all there for the same reason: to condemn the current Israeli assault on Gaza and call for an end to the Israeli occupation. The fact that such a large group of students left their classrooms vacant to take to the streets in support of Palestine gave a strong sense that Gen Z is fiercely challenging the normalization of Israeli oppression.

Alone, isolated from friends, struggling with finances, and constantly worried about his loved ones back at home, Abdul spent days in bed, sleeping through online classes and not communicating with anyone. A student at IMT Atlantique in Brittany, France, Abdul lost more than fun nights out with friends and in-person lectures when the pandemic forced the city into lockdown. "It was difficult to live another day at that time."

“Being black and queer, and of African descent, is an identity that shaped some of my college experiences,” writes Nhlakanipho Khumalo. “These individual identities are woven within each other, and isolating them was often a challenge when I interacted with white people on campus.”

“The only time I was noticed in any space was when topics related to blackness arose. Otherwise, I would be deemed intimidating and unapproachable at first glance.” Cynthia Lanor reflects on her experience at a PWI.

In response to the ongoing Israeli violence against Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah, Gaza, and elsewhere, several dozen St. Lawrence University students, faculty and alumni gathered on May 15 for a Vigil in Solidarity With Palestinians.

As students continue to play a key role in mass protests in Haiti against the current government of Jovenel Moïse, Jesús G. Ruiz argues that it is time we look to Haiti once again, not just for inspiration but also for lessons on how to engage politically and fight for one’s freedoms and rights.

Weave News is proud to join The Hill News (the St. Lawrence University student newspaper) in co-publishing Campus Quarantine, a new documentary about students stuck on campus during the COVID-19 pandemic. Filmed and directed by Meiting Li, the documentary features excerpts from interviews conducted with St. Lawrence students, including graduating seniors, who remained on campus during the period of “remote learning” at the end of the Spring 2020 semester. What was it like for them? What challenges have they been facing? What have they learned from the experience, and what are they looking forward to?

By Asmaa Tayeh

Zeyad Aabed has devoted his career—26 years—to running an NGO dedicated to offering education and health services to the deaf. It was, to say the least, a labor of love. But now, much of the funding on which his NGO depends is drying up. And today, he feels exhausted and depressed, fearful he will have to close the El-Amal Rehabilitation Society altogether. (Reposted from We Are Not Numbers)

By Jessica Sierk

What happens when high school students in rural northern New York get the chance to speak for themselves, through art, about the pressures they are facing? Jessica Sierk describes the genesis and implementation of a unique community art collaboration bringing together students from Canton Central School and St. Lawrence University.

By Savannah Crowley

In her latest post for our Weaving the Streets project, Savannah Crowley reflects on her experience of traveling to Culiacan, Sinaloa (Mexico), to “learn from activists and community leaders on the ground who are building peace in the heart of the Drug War” in the aftermath of the assassination of renowned journalist Javier Valdez.