Featured photo by Noah McLane
Story by Noah McLane
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Middle Tennessee State University’s Young Democratic Socialists of America partnered with 615 for Palestine and MTSU for Palestine to bring an educational exhibit to the student union atrium yesterday, open to the public.
According to Mona Ikbariah, one of MTSU for Palestine’s co-founders and an event organizer, “this exhibit aims to educate attendees about Palestinians’ culture and history. Attendees [can] scan QR codes for educational articles and videos.”
Dozens of posters lined the student union’s first floor, taking visitors on a visual journey through Palestinian history with texts, photographs, maps, artifacts, and impassioned Palestinians eager to share their history.
For Amira Ayesh-Akins and Sondos El-Hulu, two Palestinian women and 615 for Palestine co-founders, this is more than a well crafted exhibit.
Ayesh-Akins said, “Knowing that you’re advocating and doing what you can to support and to educate the community… I think this is our coping mechanism.”
Despite the sobering stats and stories featured in the pop-up, event leaders created a safe and welcoming place for students to explore their curiosity and expand their knowledge on the history of Palestine.
“I think a lot of people are open to hearing about our cause,” said El-Hulu.
Her thoughts proved to be correct as over 300 people attended, according to event organizers.
One of those 300 was a student who “just stopped by between classes,” Sidney Mounts. She said she was shocked by a stat she read that says 42 percent of the deaths during the last six months of war in the Gaza strip have been women and children.
Another student, Victoria Stone, was enamored by the colorful hand embroidered thobes on display saying, “Seeing [them] in person rather than through a screen, it really made it feel more real.”
MTSU for Palestine, not yet a student organization, is eager to continue showing support for Palestinian liberation through petitions, calls for divestment and collaboration with other organizations according to co-founder Kaylee Ngyuen.
The original event was postponed due to concerns over the potential for divisiveness yet there was no perceivable pushback at the pop-up.
However divisive the Palestinian cause may seem on the outside, event organizers created a space brimming with kinship, compassion and solidarity.
Noah McLane is a contributing writer for MTSU Sidelines.
To contact News Editor Alyssa Williams and Assistant News Editor Zoe Naylor, email newseditor@mtsusidelines.com.
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