Our Unique Role within the Movement

Building on the legacy & impact of the student movement in occupied Turtle Island (U.S. and Canada), National Students for Justice in Palestine (National SJP) seeks to empower, unify, and support student organizers as they push forward demands for Palestinian liberation & self-determination on their campuses.

The student movement for the liberation of Palestine first began in the 1950s through the formation of the General Union of Palestinian Students (GUPS). From the U.S. to Palestine, GUPS chapters galvanized thousands of students towards a liberated Palestine. The 90s’ wave of corrupt politicians and faulty deals changed the liberation movement as we knew it and many institutions, including the student movement, collapsed. In the absence of a Palestinan student movement, organizations such as Students for Justice in Palestine emerged across occupied Turtle Island (U.S. and Canada) as a way to educate, advocate, and mobilize in support for Palestinian liberation.

Nearly two decades after the formation of the first Students for Justice in Palestine, the movement for Palestine has taken colleges and universities across North America by storm. With over 200 campus Palestine solidarity organizations across the continent, students have been leaders in uplifting demands for freedom, justice, and equality for the Palestinian people.

As momentum for Palestine solidarity builds, the need for organizational cohesion and a shared political framework is vital to building and sustaining the Palestine solidarity movement on campus. Combating the increasingly violent attempts to scare Palestine solidarity organizers into silence requires a strong, unified student movement that is able to build and leverage power in the face of repression and pushback.

Who We Are and What We Do

National Students for Justice in Palestine supports over two hundred Palestine solidarity organizations on college campuses across occupied Turtle Island (U.S. and Canada). We promote an agenda grounded in freedom, solidarity, equality, safety, and historical justice, and we seek to elevate the student movement for Palestinian liberation to a higher level of political engagement. We aim to develop a connected, disciplined movement that is equipped with the tools necessary to contribute to the fight for Palestinian liberation.

What We Aspire to Become

National Students for Justice in Palestine will facilitate the SJP National Network, the body coordinating all aspects of campus-based Palestine solidarity organizing across Turtle Island. This facilitation will include maintaining communication networks, coordinating campaigns, carrying out political education, leading training, and building an organizing community. We aim to:

1. Continually develop and uphold the shared principles and values of the SJP National Network.
   

2. Engage the National Network with political education, connecting theory and history to organizing practice.
   

3. Cultivate deep relationships with our allies and engage in joint struggle with national and international partners.
   

4. Coordinate joint campaigns and actions across our network on our movement's key issues.

What We Believe In

We are a vast and diverse network of students, and our core values unite us as we carry on the fight for Palestinian liberation. National SJP upholds fifteen Shared Principles and Values, which were developed alongside local chapters and movement partners. We seek a political framework that addresses collective liberation from Palestine to the Rio Grande.

We believe the struggle for a free Palestine is also the struggle for Black liberation, gender and sexual freedom, and a livable and sustainable planet. All pursuits for freedom, justice, and equality are materially connected and require us to struggle against state violence, colonialism, capitalism, and imperialism, in all of their forms.