On Tuesday, Oct. 20th, LMU’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJPLMU) hosted “A History of Palestine,” a teach-in led by Palestinian-American mechanical engineer and LMU professor, Dr. Omar Es-Said.
Students, faculty, and community members gathered in Seaver 200 to talk about the history of Palestine, the Nakba–meaning “the catastrophe” in Arabic– and the issues it is currently facing in the modern day.
SJPLMU is a student-led campus organization that became a registered student organization in Spring 2024. SJP is focused on raising awareness about the current and past Palestinian struggle, advocating against Israeli occupation, and supporting the self-determination of Palestinians. Through education and advocacy, the SJP club hopes to create an environment in and outside of LMU that fosters justice and peace for all colonized people.
Upon arrival, SJP welcomed attendees and offered snacks while they waited for the presentation to begin. Attendees had side conversations about the teach-in topic and the SJPLMU club as a whole, and E-Board members would encourage attendees to join the club if they were passionate about Justice for Palestine.
Before beginning, an E-Board member mentioned a fundraiser that was being held during the discussion, with the proceeds going to a family in Gaza. SJP was selling Palestinian artwork and giving attendees educational booklets and stickers for attendees to take.
Once everyone settled down, Dr. Omar Es-Said began his teach-in.
He outlined what the teach-in was going to consist of: The Ottoman Empire, the British Mandate of Palestine, the Partition of Palestine, the 1948 Nakba, and finally Life Under Occupation.
Throughout the lecture, Dr. Omar Es-Said shared memories from his family and childhood, and noted that his grandfather, Asim Bek Es-Said, was a former Mayor of Jaffa.
Many of the stories his father told him about his grandfather focused on the struggle for an Arab country and uniting other Palestinian mayors for reform.
The lecture lasted roughly about an hour, and after, students and faculty who attended rushed to get a word with Dr. Omar Es-Said.
The club meets weekly on Tuesdays at 7:30 PM, and meetings and events include teach-ins, film screenings, and general meetings.
One E-board member, Yasmine Shoukeh, the outreach chair, mentioned one of SJP’s primary goals.
“We have cultural clubs on campus, and those are great sources to be in community with people…a lot of times we were floating out there and feeling all these big feelings about what is happening in Palestine, both in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and not being able to talk to people about those,” said Yasmine.
Another E-board member, Plum Deantinus Newman, said another goal is for the club to make sure it’s doing enough to provide resources to local people in the LMU and Los Angeles communities affected by the issues in Palestine.
She said, “A lot of it is just showing that we’re here…and you’re not alone in this.”
Although mainly highlighting the goals and contributions of the SJP club, Shoukeh brings up struggles that SJP has faced since its creation here at LMU. According to Shoukeh, one of the main challenges they have faced is finding ways to support Palestine from the diaspora as students and finding one’s role in the global liberation movement.
“For us, we have found that education to bring awareness and fundraising have been two effective ways to mobilize,” she highlights.
Moving forward, SJP plans to meet weekly, and while consistency has been a struggle in the past, they hope to bring more people to join the community in solidarity with Palestine.
