“I just want people to know what Nakba means,” Hadil Abuhmaid said, a Palestinian flag draped over her shoulders.
Abuhmaid was one of several students who gathered at Collier lawn Friday afternoon to commemorate the 67th anniversary of the Palestinian displacement following Israeli independence in 1948. Palestinians remember the date as “Nakba,” which means, “catastrophe.”
Approximately 700,000 Palestinian people were expelled from their homes and villages when the state of Israel was declared. Abuhmaid’s grandparents were among them. Refugees spread across the region, from Jordan to West Bank to Lebanon and beyond.
According to Abuhmaid, there were Saudi, Indian and Pakistani students among the supporters.
Abuhmaid, a graduate student in nonprofit management, organized the event with the help of several students, including those from the Arab Student Union. Organizers held flags and signs, and offered rich black coffee and dates to anyone who stopped by.
Abuhmaid said this is a part of a three-day mourning tradition to commemorate a death. Students also wrote letters to Palestinian refugees and created the hashtag #ducksforPalestine to raise awareness.
“We want students to know what Palestinian people are really going through,” Abuhmaid said.
The Mills International Center will also be hosting a discussion about Palestinian-Israeli conflict on Tuesday, May 19 at 5 p.m.