The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/tag/activism/)
On the first day of the fall semester, activists smashed Day Hall’s front door glass and spray-painted “Israel bombs, Cornell pays” along the entrance.
Levi Pierpont reached out to me after I cited his Guardian Op-Ed in my own piece about the death of his friend, Aaron Bushnell. We ended up having a conversation about his experience in the Air Force and the involvement of Buddhism in his decision to become a conscientious objector (i.e. leave the military due to moral principles). We also discussed Palestine and how the Philippine languages reflect an imperialist component to language diffusion. This is that conversation, continued.
Climate Justice Cornell, Cornell on Fire and Native American Indigenous and Indigenous Students at Cornell gathered on the Arts Quad for a demonstrative art build and protest to support clean energy and the repatriation of mineral rights on sacred native land in Wisconsin.
Undergraduates voted “yes” on the ceasefire and divestment referendum questions by a 2:1 ratio.
In an International Women’s Day talk, Indigenous scholar and activist Michelle Schenandoah ’99 unpacked the historical disempowerment of Indigenous women, including in Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s ’54 legal decisions.
CFI said that the sexual violence demonstration was canceled before criticism from the Coalition for Mutual Liberation was publicized.
Kimberlé Crenshaw ’81 underscored the importance of freedom of expression and combatting injustice in the 2024 Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Lecture.
Grey’s Anatomy actor and activist Jesse Williams spoke to the Cornell student body about his professional and personal experiences on Feb. 9.
L.M. Nawrocki ’23 was awarded the Student Leader Award on Saturday, June 17 for cultivating safe spaces for LGBTQ+ Cornell students.
On Saturday, Feb. 11, Cornell students rallied in Washington, D.C. with politicians, community leaders and students from other universities to reiterate the demands of the Uyghur Policy Act and Uyghur Human Rights Protection Act in response to the genocide in China.
Their stand reflects an important statement of solidarity amongst those who value human rights. The rally had support from The Hong Kong Student Association, Cornell Chinese in Ithaca, Free Tibet, Free Uyghur Now, Athenai Institute, Uyghur Human Rights Association, the Uyghur American Association and others.
I spoke with Suha Khan ’24, a Cornell Interfaith Council leader who drummed up support for the rally. Zoë MeiLing Johnson-Berman ’24, who fostered solidarity amongst organizations through social media networking, also joined us for the conversation. This interview is lightly edited for clarity.