THE ENCAMPMENT AS A SPACE OF REFUGE.
The term refuge, amounts to safety and security, but can also be settled as a feeling, space, or material— It is an abstract picture in which our solidarity encampment aims to foster.
Discussing Palestine automatically deliberates the topic of refuge. 6 million Palestinians live in diaspora, and with that, refugees and refuge becomes a default discussion at the encampment. We incorporate the subject of refuge and the refuge of Palestinians within our programmings and events—continuing to share the awareness of Palestinians living in exile, away from their traditional homeland involuntarily; and in whatever way they showcase struggle, it’s a form of refuge, because it bargains a presence. Resistance is a form of refuge as it’s a form of protection from the danger Zionism poses to Palestinians and all those who advocate for Palestinian self-determination.
Community was a colossal facet of the encampment. People were practically living together, and in that sense, had to learn acts of love, sharing, and keeping each other safe; because we know very well that our safety is overlooked by The New School, the administration, and the NYPD. Among organizing, we were able to strengthen contact with community members and city organizers that helped the encampment thrive daily and grow as a space. Outside supporters donated an abundance of supplies and food. Quantities of food were coming through the doors plenty of times throughout the day—we created new ways of thinking and mobilizing while learning how to share, take care of each other, feed each other and clean up after ourselves, so we can focus on the longevity of the movement. Food is a form of refuge and a process of incorporating culture and interconnecting our struggles.
Everyday, we published a daily schedule of programming. The programs ranged from teach-ins to live performances to interfaith prayers. We encouraged anyone to host a program and share their practice with the community. There was and continues to be refuge in solidarity within the community. Within the programming, we ensured that everyone felt embraced and heard. The encampment, we understood to be a stressful endeavor, hence the establishment of the well-being committee. We dedicated a room at the Parsons building as the mental wellness room; a space to relieve stress.
Mental wellness is vital in organizing, and being in a position where uncertainty is eminent, these acts of service within the well-being committee are vital to the organizing dynamic and structure when times become overstimulating and difficult to grasp.
It’s important to also mention the often inevitable aspects of the encampment that didn’t make it a space of refuge. Safety, in this context, is challenged when police presence is apparent. It is challenged when vulnerable students are put in vulnerable situations; and refuge is defiant when our ability to free speech is limited. Another, is the treatment of our Black and Brown comrades. The encampment was not a space of refuge when whiteness was centered; and when Black and Brown voices were neglected—being seen as unimportant and petty.