In May 2024, San José State became a focal point for student activism as pro-Palestinian protesters established an encampment near the Olympic Black Power Statue.
Students set up tents on Tommie Smith and John Carlos Lawn in front of Robert D. Clark Hall, calling on SJSU to finally acknowledge the death toll in Gaza, according to a May 15, 2024, San José Spotlight article.
An alumnus student protester, who requested anonymity because of fear of retaliation, was deeply involved in the SJSU encampments and shared that the space wasn’t just political, but an emotional and necessary space for students.
“The encampment became a symbol of SJSU’s strong activist culture and its connection to broader justice-oriented movements,” he said. “It brought together a diverse group of students and student-led organisations, fostering unity and collaboration.”
The wave of pro-Palestinian student encampments on U.S. college campuses began on April 17, 2024, at Columbia University in New York City, according to a May 2, 2024, article from the Columbia Spectator.
Students at Columbia University in New York City established the "Gaza Solidarity Encampment," pitching tents on the university’s East Butler Lawn to protest Israel's actions in Gaza and to demand that Columbia divest from companies with ties to Israel, according to a May 2, 2024, article from the Columbia Spectator.
A national wave of student activism quickly reached SJSU’s campus, where demonstrators demanded that the university divest from Israeli companies, according to a May 15, 2024, San José Spotlight article.
The alumnus said that he was one of the students who actively participated in planning the encampment on SJSU’s campus, organising rallies and marches, coordinating logistics and helping with negotiations between student organizers and the university administration.
“A major challenge was protecting students from intimidation and potential disciplinary actions by the university,” he said. “We frequently encountered faculty and administrators attempting to discourage participation through verbal warnings and threats, which created a climate of fear.”
The SJSU university administration responded by stating that the encampment violated the university’s revised Time, Place, and Manner Policy and sought disciplinary action against participating students and faculty, according to a May 16, 2024, article from the Spartan Daily.
Amnesty International reported on Dec. 5, 2024, that there is sufficient basis to state that Israel has committed, and continues to commit, acts of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
As the reports of the genocide continued to circulate globally, students at SJSU felt compelled to act.
A first-year student at SJSU, who also asked to stay anonymous and wasn’t actively involved in the encampments, said she is still heavily involved in protest and organizing efforts for the cause of Palestinian liberation.
“Engaging in civil disobedience and disrupting the status quo unsettles those in power, often prompting them to reinforce their control through force or intimidation,” she said. “Conforming is easier. It creates the illusion of safety. But when able to distinguish between right and wrong, choosing inaction transforms into a burden.”
Hafsa Sheikh, a requested pseudonym for a first-year political science student, wasn’t present for the encampments, but engaging in protests elsewhere has been an emotional and grounding experience for her.
“It can be easy to look at the continued genocide of the Palestinian people and lose hope in our actions having any impact on their livelihoods,” she said. It’s been almost a year and a half since Oct. 7, and the situation in Gaza seems to only be getting worse.”
Since October 7, 2023, Israel’s ongoing military offensive in Gaza has resulted in catastrophic destruction and the deaths of more than 50,000 Palestinians, according to an April 16 BBC article with data from the Gaza Health Ministry.
“Sometimes I’ll scroll on Instagram and see posts about a new massacre or a more horrific way Palestinians are being victimised,” Sheikh said. “It's easy to feel like any attention you try to call to the issue is pointless ... it’s a feeling that overwhelms me from time to time.”
The Spartan Daily also made requests for comment from the Jewish Student Union at SJSU on the organization’s perspective of the pro-Palestinian encampments but received no response by the time of the publication.
The first-year anonymous student described how witnessing the aftermath of the encampment and engaging in activism as a new student shaped her college experience.
“The encampment represented the crumbling of the American facade,” she said. “Young people, those likely to inherit the reins of the government, stood in open defiance of the current administration. Their presence and solidarity served as a demand for reform of this government and foreign policy.”
