On Friday, Sept. 4, Temple University students held a rally to protest the schools support of companies that ally with Israel, ICE, and other entities that are believed to have committed actions that have led to the harm of other human beings. All of the schools’ investments are hidden, but the Owl Fund that is managed by students is public. The students deduce that the school itself is likely to have a similar investment portfolio.
Temple Action Solidity Coalition (TASC) was one of the main coordinating groups of this protest. The organizer of BYAN USA Northeast & Anakbyan Philly, one of the affiliated groups with TASC, was also present. The people interviewed will remain anonymous as members of TASC and allied groups have faced backlash from Temples administration, and harassment from other student organizations on campus.
When asked about why TASC had gathered to protest, the organizer said plainly that “students are fed up” and went on to explain that student “support is a critical component [in] making sure that Palestinians are liberated, that Cubans are liberated, the environment is liberated, [and] immigrants are liberated.”
The protest’s concerns were “student concerns and internationalist concerns.” They explained that students are aware of the importance of a free Palestine and the abolition of ICE, because it impacts the “society they want to live in, the campus they want to go to, and the life they want to live.” TASC’s issues are issues that both students and the collaborating organizations “want to bring to the table” regarding the actions of the Temple administration.
They continued, saying students “want liberation for the people who get taken advantage of the most, the people who the board of trustees are exploiting the most, the Palestinian people, the immigrant communities in [Philadelphia], and us!”
TASC is an “organization with unaffiliated students, students who are affiliated with clubs and organizations either citywide or campuswide” with specific groups “dedicated to climate justice, to immigrant justice, to cultural justice, [and] for anti-war causes,” according to its organizers.
TASC’s causes also relate to women.
“A huge portion of TASC’s [membership] are women,” the organizer said. “In 99% to possibly 100% of issues TASC exists to combat, women and other people who are marginalized on the basis of their gender are disproportionately affected.”
They then explained that “female immigrants who come to this country are more likely to do the back-breaking work” of domestic life, that Black and Hispanic women are less likely to be taken seriously in healthcare scenarios, and Palestinian women are sexually abused by Israeli soldiers. All these groups of women must deal with the hardships that their male counterparts face, while also dealing with the ones that come from being a woman, they said.
A participant in the protest, who is also an organizer of another activist group here on campus, related their cause back to how women are disproportionately affected.
In “the national liberation struggle in the Philippines” women have played a significant role. In all struggles for liberation, “women need to participate.” They explained that patriarchal structures prevent political change as it relegates women to being second class citizens.
“We won’t win if women [and other marginalized groups] aren’t a part of [political causes],” they said. “These groups make up large parts of populations, and their support is crucial to “fight for people’s rights.”
Another topic they brought up is to advocate for industry in the countryside of the Philippines. They find this important as it would help the country not be dependent on foreign aid from the United States.
They were also concerned with “Hanwha research programs getting funneled to students.” Hanwha and the Philippines have major contracts that this group believes negatively impact the lives of those living there. They argue that these programs get students to believe that war is just “a part of their lives, and that they have to compromise their values” for academic and career success. They said that “students shouldn’t even be given that choice” and that institutions like Temple should be providing “pro-people” opportunities for their students.
Students’ tuition funds Temple University. Tuition, fees, and private support make up 89% of the school’s budget. These organizations argue that it should be clear where our money is going since students are the ones giving this institution its money.
To find TASC, they are @templesolidarityactionco on Instagram and can be reached at templesolidarityactionco@gmail.com.