I awoke this morning to an email from my school’s chancellor. He was reminding us about the importance of engaging in respectful free speech since “[t]he violence in Israel and Gaza is provoking tension locally and globally, including on our campus.” While I appreciated the seemingly fair nature of the email, I couldn’t help but wonder what exactly occurred to instigate his concerns:
“We are disappointed by some of the messaging we have seen and heard in our classrooms, on our sidewalks and in social media posts aimed at members or groups in our community.”
Being in an online program, while filled with benefits, alienates us from a lot of on campus culture. Nevertheless, as each day passes, I witness a rising death toll in Palestine, simultaneous with the rising threats against any of us who dare utter the ‘P’ word or ‘C’ word (ceasefire). So I cannot help but be curious as to what my campus—who openly and actively partners with Israel (something I only learned after starting the program unfortunately)—deems disappointing. I also wonder, is there one group in specific he was referring to, considering how biased academic institutions remain towards all things Palestine. We all witnessed how little Harvard cares about its Muslim and Middle Eastern students. How Columbia treated its students. Is UNC different? Is any campus different?
On Tuesday, I started my newest class, Strategy & Sustainability, a course I hope will reconcile the social responsibility element for me in this business world. As usual, the first day began with introductions. A woman, I’ve had a few courses with before, introduced herself and the company she works for, and the innovative ways they have reduced plastic usage. This company, a multibillion dollar global company, however, is notorious for being a staunch supporter of Israel in far too many ways. Is it not ironic a company (and its employees) could genuinely believe in its ESG initiatives when it is simultaneously funding an occupation concealed genocide?
I know this is not the first company to do so, nor will it be the last, unfortunately. And I legitimately have no hard feelings for my classmate. She likely has no idea what her large-scale company does, nor is it likely she ever will. As a white woman, with a great job, in a famous brand, why open Pandora’s box?
Ignorance seems to be many people’s bliss, because despite consistently updated lists of domestic and international companies that support Israel, too many people use products from these companies and their subsidiaries. For example, Estée Lauder, a globally recognized skincare and cosmetics company, who has consecutively been vocal about its support of Israel, owns a multitude of famous brands that so many pro-Palestinian individuals frequently purchase including MAC Cosmetics, Clinique, Bobbi Brown, Origins, Jo Malone, La Mer, and more.
Some try to justify their purchases as nothing more than marginal financial gains, incapable of making a difference, but that’s the thing. Margins Matter! They add up and make a profound impact. Not a day has gone by in this business program where we didn’t observe margins. One of the biggest measures we rely on IS the margin. While the BDS National Committee has identified incredibly effective and targeted boycotted efforts to support, I still believe it’s important to recognize other popular areas large groups of people can reallocate their funds from—including cosmetics, skincare, and fragrance—especially when safer (humanitarian and ingredient wise) alternatives exist.
I share this post today because we have entered the second month of this genocide with nothing changing except the increasing death toll of Palestinians and deteriorated emotional and psychological health of my global communities waiting for some government intervention. This lack of action, in conjunction with the targeted racist actions of academic and professional institutions (such as the aforementioned ones) tells us nothing except that we, Arabs and Muslims, are viewed as disposable. Expendable. And why would any of us feel safe, accepted, or valuable in this kind of world? A world that uses neutrality as a cover to justify ethnic cleansing? A world that clears the way for one party and silences the other with threats—emotional, fiscal, or even physical?
For four hours today, all we could muster the energy to do at home today was watch the news, cry, send texts to our families and friends to check in, before resuming news watching. Guilt wraps itself around us everyday like a python punishing us for still being able to live “easily” with running water and electricity. Meanwhile, Palestinians have resorted to sea water for hydration, watching what’s left of their hospitals get set on fire, as the Israeli forces start targeting areas outside of Gaza.
The least (literally, least) we can do is make the effort, even if it’s marginal for now.