“In the same way ‘We Shall Overcome’ was the Civil Rights Movement’s anthem, ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ is the Palestinian Rights Movement’s anthem,” said Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine founder Janan Najeeb.

Activists from the Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine called for a dialogue with Gateway Technical College’s administration about its withdrawal of GTC’s Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award from the Burlington Coalition for Dismantling Racism at a press conference yesterday. 

GTC rescinded the award after receiving a complaint about the statement “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” on the BCDR president’s personal Facebook account.

WCJP is a coalition of 60 diverse Wisconsin organizations that “united in a shared mission: demanding that our Wisconsin political leaders take immediate action toward implementing a ceasefire in Gaza,” its website states.

Sonali Knotek of the Racine Coalition for Peace and Justice called on Gateway Technical College “to break ties with defense contractors … and call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.”

“We believe this decision was ill-informed. It was based on a misreading of a particular statement posted on a personal Facebook,” said WCJP and Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition founder Janan Najeeb, who has been chair of the City of Milwaukee’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration for nearly two decades. She spoke at the Feb. 1 press conference held in front of the GTC Administration Building in Kenosha. “This is an example of efforts to conflate anti-Zionism with antisemitism.” 

It is used “to silence any kind of discussion about Israeli policy,” she continued. “It is unfortunate that Gateway’s administration has fallen into this trap, especially as an institute of higher education.”

Rachel Buff, Ph.D., co-founder of Jewish Voice for Peace, a WCJP member organization, added, “It is the most Jewish thing I can think of to do at this terrible moment in history, to stand with Palestinians in this country and, more important, to stand with Palestinians abroad in Gaza and the West Bank.

“‘From the river to the sea’ is an anthem of freedom,” she continued. “It is not a call for genocide of Jews. That interpretation exists only in the topsy-turvy, McCarthyist, fascist world that we unfortunately occupy. I found out this morning that Santita Jackson, daughter of Reverend Jesse Jackson, was fired from her own radio show in Chicago for being critical of Biden for the ongoing genocide in Gaza, fired for speaking out.” 

 

Representatives of some of the 60 member organizations in the Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine participated at a press conference yesterday at Gateway Technical College in Kenosha.

Najeeb explained, “In the same way ‘We Shall Overcome’ was the anthem of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ is the anthem of the Palestinian Rights Movement … It is the Palestinian call for the end to Israeli apartheid, oppression and racism.

“We are appalled that an institute of higher learning in Wisconsin doesn’t do their research and bring in Palestinians to explain their own traditions and their words and their culture,” she said, “especially when a number of Palestinian students and staff are here on Gateway’s campus.” 

WCJP called for the restoration of the award to BCDR and a dialogue with the GTC administration about the “charged issues” around its withdrawal.

 

“‘From the river to the sea’ is an anthem of freedom,” said Rachel Buff, co-founder of Jewish Voice for Peace-Milwaukee.”It is not a call for genocide of Jews.”

 

BCDR has also requested dialogue with GTC’s administration but has not had any response, BCDR president Laura Bielefeldt said at the press conference.

The person who made the complaint to GTC about it giving its humanitarian award to BCDR responded promptly to an email from WMJ. Taylor Wishau of Burlington wrote:

“It’s important to note that both the White House and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries condemned the statement ‘From the River To Sea,’ the very same statement made by Laura, the president of BCDR. 

“Gateway demonstrated true leadership by holding her and the organization she represents accountable. It is irresponsible for her to endorse a slogan that is deeply offensive and essentially advocates for the elimination of the Jewish people.”

Wishau, who represents District 21 on the Racine Country Board of Supervisors and is vice president of the Burlington Area School District Board, noted his complaint was sent from his personal email and has “nothing to do with any elected office I hold.”

Other speakers at the press conference were Sonali Knotek of the Racine Coalition for Peace and Justice, Rev. Darren Utley of First Presbyterian Church in Racine and Justin Blake of Families United in Kenosha. BCDR president Bielefelt also spoke at WCJP’s invitation. 

“Gateway claimed BCDR did not reflect the spirit of the MLK award … That has no merit,” Knotek said. “Understanding of the relationship between the oppression faced by different minorities is completely in line with the oppression Dr. King fought against.”

“Unfortunately, I’m not surprised (the award was rescinded),” Utley said. “The same thing is happening at Harvard and Columbia and all across the country.

“What I want to say is … that to believe the statement ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ is a genocidal statement is to imagine (the people who say it) as barbaric and savage, foreign and evil and scary. That’s racism and that’s what’s happening here. We cannot continue this ridiculous racism that covers over an actual genocide.”

Justin Blake is the uncle of Jacob Blake, a Black man who in 2020, at 29 years old, was shot by a white police officer in front of his children and was left partly paralyzed, sparking nationwide Black Lives Matter protests, including a march in Kenosha where an Illinois teen killed two protestors. “I stand here in front of you as the uncle of a surviving victim, a young man who was shot seven times in the back in this state, in this city, to say, ‘Stop the racism! Stop the violence! Stop it now!

“Every day, hundreds of children (in Gaza) are meeting their demise and our president is allowing the bombs … to be utilized for bombing hospitals, schools and churches.

“Nobody has the right to colonialize a place, take over all of what it has, its people, and then rename it,” he added.

Noting that she was speaking for herself rather than BCDR, Bielefeldt listed reasons she believes BCDR is deserving of the MLK award. BCDR “has fought tirelessly to expose, disrupt and dismantle racism within the community of Burlington and surrounding areas … The members of BCDR have spent countless hours speaking with students, their families, school staff, administrators, city officials and, quite frankly, anyone who will listen. 

“We have continued to advocate for our black and brown students, and that will not change … we have partnered with many in our community and others to repair and rebuild that community.

“BCDR believes representation matters. Yearly, we donate books and colors of the world, crayons, to classrooms and libraries so all students of color can see themselves represented … and so their white peers also learn to see them, hear them and most importantly value them … We also sponsor an essay contest in Black History Month for all Burlington students in both our private and public schools. We have donated backpacks and school supplies for students in need. BCDR, in partnership with local businesses, has brought Juneteenth to the community of Burlington. It is in its fifth year.”

During a Q & A with reporters, Bielefeldt was asked if BCDR  was upset about the award being withdrawn. 

“Not upset in the way that you may think that we are,” she answered, “but more concerned about … the students at Gateway that might not feel safe in this environment.

“Award or not, BCDR will continue to do what we do. An award does not in any way push us forward or keep us doing what we do.”

Reporters from Wisconsin Muslim Journal, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the Kenosha News attended the press conference. (See Kenosha News coverage of the press conference here.)

Pursuing dialogue

WCJP sent a letter Jan. 24 to BTC president Rita Raju, Ph.D., and vice president Jacqueline Morris, Ph.D., saying, “We respectfully ask you to restore the award to BCDR.” It also asked for a meeting with them “to discuss the charged questions surrounding the current conflict.” The letter was signed by Najeeb and Buff, co-chairs of WCJP’s executive committee.

At the time of publication of this article, both Najeeb and Buff confirmed they had not received a response from GTN’s administration. “At the very least, they could acknowledge receiving it,” Najeeb said to WMJ.

Wisconsin Muslim Journal spoke with GTC’s Communications & Media Relations manager Lee Colony yesterday afternoon to ask if GTC’s administration planned to respond to WCJP’s request for a dialogue. He said Raju and Morris were at an off-campus event and he would relay WMJ’s question for today’s story. Colony responded this afternoon to say he has “been unable to connect with Dr. Raju today” about WMJ’s request and hopes “to have something … by Monday.”

GTC’s reasoning for withdrawing the award from BCDR is stated in a Jan. 11 news release about the Jan. 15 award ceremony. “It should be noted that after thoughtful consideration by the selection committee, the decision was made to rescind one Humanitarian awardee, the Burlington Coalition for Dismantling of Racism. While Gateway values the work done by the Burlington Coalition for the Dismantling of Racism, it was brought to the college’s attention that the selection of BCDR as a Gateway Technical College Dr. King Humanitarian raises some concerns and does not align with Gateway’s values nor reflect the spirit of this award. Gateway’s main goal, always, is to honor peace, fairness and equity through its Humanitarian awards program.” 

“If we do not find ourselves in the places covered with rubble, in the places being bombed, calling out for justice, we are on the wrong side of history,” said Rev. Darren Utley, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Racine.

In response to GTC’s decision, BCDR posted Jan. 12 on its Facebook page: “Gateway cannot honor Dr. King by silencing voices that make it uncomfortable.”

On its website, it states: “We are greatly disappointed by Gateway’s decision and vehemently reject the implication that our President’s support of Palestinian liberation means that she is antisemitic. 

“Differing voices and perspectives lead to a fuller, more inclusive truth. The fact that leadership at an institution of higher learning like Gateway could not make space for this concept reinforces a dangerous and divisive precedent.

(Left to right) Sonali Knotek of the Racine Coalition for Peace and Justice, WCJP founder Janan Najeeb, Rev. Darren Utley of First Presbyterian Church in Racine, BCDR president Laura Bielefeldt, Jewish Voice for Peace-Milwaukee co-founder Rachel Buff and Justin Blake of Families United

On BCDR’s website, it said: “We are greatly disappointed by Gateway’s decision and vehemently reject the implication that our president’s support of Palestinian liberation means that she is antisemitic. 

“Differing voices and perspectives lead to a fuller, more inclusive truth. The fact that leadership at an institution of higher learning like Gateway could not make space for this concept reinforces a dangerous and divisive precedent.

“To minimize the impact of this and repair, we ask for the following:

  • A restorative conversation with Gateway president and/or board since the false claims set up BCDR for its detractors. This should include Gateway’s apparent policy of judging a group not by its body of work but by a media post by an individual member on a topic unrelated to the group’s current body of work;
  • A public apology from the president for implying by this decision that the president of BCDR is antisemitic, which is categorically false;
  • Transparency around Gateway’s vetting process, including whether the complainant and his/her motives were also vetted;
  • Host a listening session to better understand how this action spoke to Palestinian, Arab and Muslim students and staff