By Jada Jackson ’26
STAFF WRITER
Content warning: This article discusses state-sanctioned violence and mass death.
A group of students organizing under the name MHC For Palestine with support from the Western Massachusetts Action Coalition gathered in front of Pratt Hall in support of a liberated Palestine at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 22.
There, students held signs that read “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “End Genocide” in protest of Israel’s ongoing military attack on the Gaza Strip. The rally began with speeches from concerned students from the Class of 2024 who called attention to what they said was a lack of response or acknowledgment from the College as thousands of Palestinian civilians were killed at the hands of the Israeli military.
“To the Israeli government and its Zionist defenders, we will never forget your role in this genocide, and may the ghosts of all of the people who you have murdered continue to haunt you,” one student organizer in the Class of 2024 said.
A student from the Class of 2024 and Co-Founder of MHC For Palestine, who did not wish to be named, spoke at the event.
“To all of our Palestinian peers globally, we see you. You have a right to live peacefully on this planet, and you do not have to defend your humanity,” she said. “To Mount Holyoke College, you have not done enough to express your support for the millions of people who are facing a human rights crisis and are being subjected to extreme human rights violations. To the United States government, who is using its funding and power to support this conquest, we have seen how you choose to use your power.”
The student ended by emphasizing that MHC For Palestine will never be in support of the use of force against Palestinians in Gaza.
“To the United States government who is using its funding and power to support this conquest, we have seen how you choose to use your power,” the student said. “We will neither support nor defend this use. So from the bottom of my heart, until it becomes true, free Palestine from the river to the sea.”
Following the speeches, the crowd marched out from Pratt Hall, chanting, “We will free Palestine within our lifetime.” The march drew support from community members present, such as the honking of a passing car’s horn and other students on campus joining the rally. The group eventually made their way to the President’s House.
Upon stopping at the front door, a few students knocked in an attempt to get President Danielle Holley’s attention, but no response came. After participants chanted phrases such as “Mount Holyoke, you can’t hide, you’re supporting genocide” and “Divest” in front of the President’s House, a member of the Western Massachusetts Action Coalition and a student in the Class of 2025 who asked not to be named emphasized her earlier claims.
“It is not a secret that there are weapons manufacturers in our backyard, as close as [L3 KEO in] Northampton,” she stated. The student also explained that while she loves the College, she hopes that it will not continue to stand idly by. “This will not be in our institution’s name; I’m here because I love Mount Holyoke!” she exclaimed.
The organizers insisted that they were protesting out of care for their fellow humans. “We’re pro-liberation of all people living on this planet. … We still stand beside our Jewish peers, and we still do not stand beside antisemitism of any form,” one student in the Class of 2024 said. “It's bold things that we’re saying, but we need to get the school’s attention. … I think every extra protest that happens anywhere is helpful.”
Students continued the rally by claiming Mount Holyoke as their campus with the chant, “Not in our name.” The rally concluded in front of the Blanchard Community Center. The group gave one final chant, and then the organizers shared words of encouragement. One student in the Class of 2024 left the rally feeling “good to be with everyone, [and] glad that the number of people showed up that did,” also noting that “it’s intense [because] genocide is fucking serious.”
Students in attendance were still awaiting the College’s next move at the end of the rally. Another protester in the Class of 2027 expressed disheartenment after participating. The student, who identified themselves as Black and Muslim, said that the College should “condemn the genocide that’s happening. I have not seen anything … they have not said anything. It’s wrong. It’s disheartening because I came here because I thought [the College] would fight for justice, but they’re not saying anything.”
During the demonstration, organizers of the march called for their peers to be critical of their sources of information, emphasizing the importance of “where students get their news from and who they're listening to while encouraging them to “participate in concrete actions” — no matter how small. “The student … and alum voices have a lot of sway at this college, and it’s very important that everyone expresses that this will not happen in our name,” one organizer from the Class of 2025 said in an interview with Mount Holyoke News. “This will not happen at our institution.”