Approximately 50 Rhode Island School of Design students rallied outside 20 Washington Place — a RISD administrative building known as Prov-Wash — Monday afternoon as part of a “Walkout for Palestine.”
Organized by RISD Students for Justice in Palestine, the demonstration is one of several events inspired by the National SJP’s “global Week of Rage.” The walkout marks one year since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7.
Protesters gathered at RISD Beach, a green space near Carr Haus Café, before proceeding to the administrative building at 1:30 p.m. The walk-out, which also consisted of activities like art builds and teach-ins, ended at 5:00 p.m.
“We’re going to … talk about why we gather not only today, but every day,” said RSJP spokesperson Jo Ouyang ’26 in an initial series of speeches. “To mourn the lives that we lost, and what a divestment campaign substantially will mean for not only our universities, but our solidarity with Palestine, with Lebanon, with Iran, with Yemen and every other occupied people.”
RSJP staged a building occupation of 20 Washington Place back in May to pressure RISD to divest from Textron and Airbnb, The Herald previously reported. Students voluntarily disbanded after nine days of striking, after which President Crystal Williams threatened to expel any remaining occupants.
Airbnb has been criticized for their 2019 decision to allow listings of rental properties in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, while defense manufacturer Textron has been linked to aircraft used by the Israeli Air Force.
RSJP maintains the same demands from last semester, including clarity on the university’s financial operations, establishing a student oversight committee on investments, a public condemnation of Israel’s actions in Gaza and divestment from companies and institutions which are “implicated in sustaining Israeli Apartheid.”
Jaime Marland, RISD’s senior director of public relations, previously told The Herald that “Textron and Airbnb are not part of RISD’s investment portfolio.”
In a later statement, President Williams rejected protesters’ demands to sever all financial ties with Textron.
“It is extremely disheartening to know that the President of my institution is not interested in knowing the values of my community and allowing everyone to have access to important institutional bylaws,” said Angie Filgueiras, a speaker at the rally.
According to Ouyang, members of RSJP are scheduled to meet with President Williams and RISD’s Board of Trustees Investment Subcommittee on Oct. 17. A RISD spokesperson did not reply to a request to comment about the meeting.
RSJP plans to propose divestment at the meeting, said Ouyang. The group will also discuss amendments to RISD’s investment decision-making process.
The meeting was granted on the condition that there were no disruptions to commencement by RSJP last semester.
Marland did not respond to The Herald’s request for comment at time of publication.
Sanai Rashid was raised in Brooklyn and now lives in Long Island, New York. As an English and History concentrator, she is always looking for a way to amplify stories and histories previously unheard. When she is not writing, you can find her trying new pizza places in Providence or buying another whale stuffed animal.
Megan is a Senior Staff Writer covering community and activism in Providence. Born and raised in Hong Kong, she spends her free time drinking coffee and wishing she was Meg Ryan in a Nora Ephron movie.
