The following blog post was written by Abby Brook, an Elliott School sophomore studying the Middle East, international development, and music. You can learn more about Abby here.
Hello UHP Community, I want to share how my experience with Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) has been the most influential aspect of my life at GW. SJP is an organization that advocates for the justice and human rights for Palestinians and seeks to educate the community about the occupation of Palestine. My experience with SJP has been pivotal in my life for two main reasons: through my involvement, I learned how to be a student organizer while I also found a loving and supportive community that challenges me.
While I joined SJP last year, I truly got involved this year. I am a member of SJP’s non-hierarchical coordinating committee, so this year I gained different kinds of experience and skills with SJP; I planned multiple events, helped launch a divestment campaign, and learned skills for working with other students and organizers in the DMV area! As a result of our style of leadership and the nature of being in a student organization that focuses on organizing, I was able to learn through experience with the supportive community of other students! In the process, I have learned so much about organizing, social justice, and community. My involvement with SJP has played a big role in realizing that after graduation, I want to continue doing community organizing for racial justice!
An equally important part of my experience with SJP has been how it created a home for me at GW. The relationships that I made through SJP have helped sustain me through the ups and downs of organizing and college life. I’m so grateful for my community and inspired by my friends every day!
If you are interested in getting involved with social justice and community organizing on campus, I would love to talk to you and find the right space for you so you can find your own family and community like I did! 🙂
