As protests grow around other institutions, N.C. A&T students created a group, “Aggies 4 Palestine”, to protest amid the Gaza-Israel war.
On May 3rd, students gathered for the Pro-Palestine protest at the Deese Clock Tower, then walking to Williams, ending at Dudley.
Other U.S universities including Brown, Northwestern, UCLA and Columbia have had demonstrations and encampments in support of Palestine that have led to the arrest of their students.
According to ncatdissenters on Instagram, last year Chancellor Harold Martin and other HBCU presidents visited Israel to develop relationships between HBCUs and Israeli universities.
Organizers spoke to crowds encouraging students to exercise their rights and reminding those of the Greensboro Four, A&T students who fought for the Civil Rights Movement in 1960.
Students like Anthony Morgan, was moved by the recent events that he changed his major from engineering to pre-law and political science
“The best way to put it is like this, when it comes to liberation movements, A&T is right here with the Greensboro Four. And, no protest for what is right is popular at first,” Morgan said. “The Vietnam war protest and Civil Rights Movement was not popular at first. As history progresses, we move towards a better humanity, a strong humanity.”
N.C. A&T UPD watched on through the use of drones, as well as following students in a far enough distance.
According to security on the scene, they blocked the entrance of the clock tower to “protect students from the protesters.”
As they walked through the campus of N.C. A&T, chants included:
- “A&T u can’t hide ur supporting genocide.”
- “Disclose, divest, we will not rest.”
- “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
- “Free Haiti. Free Palestine. Free Congo. Free Sudan.”
- “Hey, hey, ho, ho, genocide has got to go.”
“We do not stand for hatred of any group. We stand together here today out of a mutual love and respect for humanity and that’s what we want,” Morgan said. “No one should have to suffer death unnecessarily or suffer genocide because of who they are. We have the ability to speak out and use modern technology that we will not stand for this genocide.”
The protest ended at the Greensboro Four statue, as a nod to history taking place then with four A&T students fighting for civil rights. And now, A&T students are fighting for the end of the Israel-Gaza war.
