On October 7, in Detroit, more than 50 students and community members walked out of their classrooms and workplaces in protest of two relentless years of genocide in Gaza. Organized by Wayne State Students for Justice in Palestine, Students for a Democratic Society, the Detroit Anti-War Committee, and several allied groups, the rally on Gullen Mall on Wayne State’s campus sent a clear message: students refuse to be silenced. They continue to stand with Palestine, to defend the right of Palestinians to resist occupation and to demand an immediate end to Israel’s ongoing attempts to erase the people in Gaza.
Just steps away from where protesters gathered stood the same patch of grass where, in May 2024, they built an encampment calling on Wayne State University to divest from Israel’s genocide. They faced horrific repression and violence from the university in an attempt to stop them from raising their voices.
The Student Walk Out opened with a powerful reflection on the significance of October 7; recognized as both a day of Palestinian resistance and a turning point when the world could no longer avert its eyes from the brutal realities of the US/Israeli occupation. Throughout the day, it was unmistakable; the spirit that fueled the encampment still burns in every student who stood in solidarity that day.
