Alexander Hamilton High School students walk out in Milwaukee to support Palestinians on Nakba Day
Shahd Abdelrahman was a little worried Wednesday afternoon about getting suspended when she walked out of Alexander Hamilton High School at 2:50 p.m., about a half-hour before the final bell.
But heavier on her mind were her great-grandparents. May 15 marks the 76th anniversary of what's known as the Nakba, when her grandparents were among over 700,000 Palestinians who were expelled from their homes as part of the establishment of Israel.
Abdelrahman and about 30 other students recognized the anniversary Wednesday by walking out of class and marching on the front lawn of the school at 6215 W. Warnimont Ave. on Milwaukee's southwest side. Abdelrahman held a cardboard sign that read, "Existence is resistance."
The Nakba, which means catastrophe in Arabic, permanently displaced most of the Palestinian population, according to the United Nations, whose calls for the right of refugees to return to their land were rejected by Israel.
The anniversary comes this year as the Israeli military campaign has displaced most of the Palestinian population of Gaza and killed more than 35,000 people. As Reuters reported, Palestinians fear that like the 1948 Nakba, they may never be able to return to their communities.
Students across the country joined protests Wednesday in recognition of the Nakba, while calling for an end to the current attacks on Gaza. High school students, while lower profile than the college campus encampments, have organized multiple protests of their own in Wisconsin in recent weeks.
The students at Hamilton High School have also run bake sales to raise about $300 for care packages for Palestinians. Many of the students are part of Youth Empowered in the Struggle, the youth arm of Voces de la Frontera, an advocacy organization for the rights of immigrants and workers.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Hamilton students circled the lawn and paused to give speeches on a megaphone. Students urged Abdelrahman to speak.
"Thank you all for coming. As a Palestinian myself, I don't understand how someone could just, go and like," Abdelrahman said before becoming choked up. Three friends surrounded her with hugs and another student picked up where she left off.
"This is a very important day for everyone," said Yazmari Perez, 17. "This won't end until the massacre and the genocide ends."
Many of the students at Hamilton, where state data show over a quarter of students are English language learners, come from families who had to leave their home countries — like Zadarha, a Rohingya 11th grader who didn't want to share her last name.
"Even though I'm not Palestinian, I am Muslim, and I am a human being, and I believe everyone deserves justice and peace, and we all support anyone who is struggling and surviving through it."
Several Muslim students said that while they were celebrating Eid this year with feasts, they were also watching videos of Palestinians who had only boiled grass.
Siti, a 10th grader who didn't want to share her last name, said she sees images of displaced Palestinians and she thinks of her parents who fled Myanmar. She's noticed that people in Gaza are often smiling in videos of daily life.
"If you look at them, they're smiling, but deep down they're all hurt and we all know that," Siti said.
About an hour after they started marching, students caught school buses and headed home.
Nicole Armendariz, communications director for Milwaukee Public Schools, said no disciplinary action will be taken against the students. She said adults accompanied the students during the event to ensure safety and supervision.
"Milwaukee Public Schools is proud of creating an environment that fosters strong leaders who think critically about the issues that matter to them," Armendariz said in a statement. "We strive to create an environment that is supportive and inclusive to all."
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Hamilton High School students in Milwaukee walk out on Nakba Day
