N.C. A&T senior sociology student Ziora Ajeroh recently established a chapter of Dissenters on campus.

Dissenters is a nationwide organization that works to defund militarism and reallocate military funds to invest in the well-being of underserved communities.

The organization has chapters on many HBCU campuses, all of which tackle different issues of militarism. 

The A&T chapter specifically focuses on prompting the A&T administration to divest from police and encourage students to show support in ending global imperialism. 

Dissenters want to emphasize that historically, U.S. police and the military have failed to protect marginalized groups, making it the duty of marginalized individuals to protect each other. 

The national organization uses the slogan “We keep us safe” to highlight its dedication to protecting and serving one another. 

“Recognizing that this country wasn’t built for us and the government isn’t going to serve us and that the government has never served us, is why building a community that serves each other is our goal,” Ajeroh said. 

Because the organization is committed to ending imperialism and militarism worldwide, the NCAT Dissenters have shown solidarity with the people of Palestine throughout the war. 

“We should always stand with colonized people and people who are the victims of these atrocities,” Ajeroh shared. “But that withstanding, there’s a long history of Palestinian solidarity with Black struggles.”

For their first community outreach initiative, the NCAT Dissenters collected menstruation products for Palestinians in need in response to the blockade on medical supplies in Gaza. 

The NCAT Dissenters’ menstruation product drive was a collaboration with Motherbeing and the Red Crescent, two Middle Eastern non-profit organizations that are accepting international donations for Palestinian people. 

In addition to the menstruation product drive, the NCAT Dissenters demonstrated their solidarity with Palestine by conducting a walk-out in collaboration with the NCAT Action Activists. Dissenters at Howard University, Hampton University and Xavier University of Louisiana also held walk-outs. 

The walk-out took place on campus at the reflection pool on Oct. 25 at 12:32 p.m. Students expressed their desire for the U.S. to end all aid to the Israeli military with signs, chants and passionate speeches. 

“It was powerful to hear from so many students. It made me really emotional to hear all of these stories,” said Jada Sheppard, a sophomore computer graphics technology student who attended the walk-out.   

NCAT Dissenters believe that a major way to fulfill their goal of divesting from the police and ending global imperialism is by first educating the public,  which is why they plan to host weekly teach-ins in the student center. 

The first teach-in will be a crash course about everything happening in Palestine; from the history of the conflict to the way the conflict affects U.S. citizens. 

Although Ajeroh is a senior, she’s looking forward to seeing the progression of the Dissenters after she graduates in the spring.

To stay connected with the NCAT Dissenters and find updates on their upcoming events, follow their Instagram page.