RISD Students for Justice in Palestine layout their demands
"Our curriculum focuses on decolonizing the art canon," said an organizer, "yet we cannot say anything about the genocide?"
“I'm going to go over our demands so everyone is clear on what we're here for,” said a student organizer at a pro-Palestine event at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) this morning. “We are demanding full disclosure. We demand total fiscal transparency of RISD's investment portfolio and endowment to ensure accountability for investments in institutions that profit from the ongoing genocide and occupation of Palestine.”
The day-long protest is being organized by RISD Students for Justice in Palestine (RSJP) in cooperation with the Palestinian Youth Movement and the National Students for Justice in Palestine.
“Divestment. We demand that RISD divest from companies, corporations, and institutions that are implicated in sustaining Israeli apartheid, the occupation of Palestinian land, or contributing to and profiting off of the ongoing genocide in Palestine. This includes but is not limited to,
The suspension of all funding from the Rayon Foundation;
The refusal of any future partnerships with Textron Incorporated; and,
Upon disclosure of the extent of RISD's relationship to Airbnb Incorporated, the complete severance of the university's ties to the corporation.
“Alongside full financial divestment, RISD must commit to fully divesting academically. This entails refraining from initiating new partnerships with Israeli universities or study abroad programs in Israel and discontinuing any existing affiliations.”
“Student oversight. We call for the establishment of a student oversight committee for future investments, ensuring meaningful input and approval of financial investments with support from members of the student body, faculty, staff, and community stakeholders. This committee, in conjunction with the administration, will be responsible for determining and overseeing the use of finances taken from the Rayon Foundation Trust.
“Presidential Condemnation. We demand that President Crystal Williams publicly condemn the Israeli occupation and genocide in Gaza, as well as the military and settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank and take a public stance for permanent ceasefire.
“At RISD we are prided as an institution that raises creatives, and that upholds diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our curriculum focuses on decolonizing the art canon, yet we cannot say anything about the genocide? We can't even put steps into divestment? We can't address this as a school?
“We must ensure that the values we declare as true hold across time and circumstance. As artists and students - as people - we must be able to speak openly among ourselves to fight for what we believe inand to control where our money goes for the sake of anger, for the sake of grief, for acknowledgment, for criticism, for love, for comfort, and for hope.”
The RISD protest is expected be be an all-day event with a teach-in about divestment and Textron at noon, an art build around 1 pm and a painting professor talk about recent events at Columbia and CCNY at 1:30 pm. There will be art and music until 4 pm when there will be a last round of chants followed by a picket outside the Textron offices downtown.
Art canon?