At School of the Art Institute of Chicago commencement, students protest Israel-Hamas war
A graduating School of the Art Institute student holds up a Palestinian flag before accepting their diploma during SAIC’s commencement ceremony at the Wintrust Arena.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Students at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago protested the ongoing Israel-Hamas war as they walked across the stage during their commencement ceremony Monday at Wintrust Arena.
Many wore kaffiyehs over their graduation gowns or draped the Palestinian flag over their backs like capes. Others stitched messages to their clothing. “Liberation for all” read a message on one student’s dress. Another pulled out a Palestinian flag on stage with “My degree is dedicated to Gaza” written on it, waving it to the crowd and school leadership.
Demonstrators demanded that the Art Institute cut ties with the Crown family, a major benefactor of the institute that protesters say profits from wars and invests in weapons manufacturers. The Crowns have contributed millions to the Art Institute, and a member of the family sits on the board of trustees.
Anika Jeyaranjan, 22, who wrote “from the river to the sea” on the back of her graduation gown, said the school should not accept money from those who profit from wars.
“I don’t want to be affiliated with that, it kind of takes away from the pride of graduating,” Jeyaranjan said. “We want to make it known that we want them to divest from the Crowns, and cut all ties with the Crowns.”
As their names were called, Jeyaranjan and dozens of other students ripped up gold-colored flyers with the image of a crown, bombs and bullets, symbolizing their demands for the institute to sever its relationship with the Crown family.
Jay, a graduate who asked to be identified only by his first name, said the Crown family has invested in companies that “are making the bombs that are dropping on the children in Gaza.”
The 22-year-old said it was important for students to take actions during commencement to show their solidarity with other pro-Palestinian student movements across the country and around the world. He said many of his peers will continue their fight for the Palestinian people after graduation.
“A lot of us are going to continue to be a part of the effort for liberation globally,” he said. “We aren’t stopping until Palestine is free, period.”
The death toll from the war in Gaza has soared to more than 35,000 people, most of them women and children, according to local health officials. The war began Oct. 7 when the militant group Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting about 250 others.
A pile of torn yellow flyers carrying images of a crown, bombs and bullets sits on the floor of the stage at Wintrust Arena on Monday during graduation ceremonies for the School of the Art Institute. Many students vowed to carry on the effort to free the Palestinian people after graduation.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
The rest of the ceremony was mostly free of disruptions. A handful of students turned their backs as school president Elissa Tenny spoke to the crowd, and a “free Palestine” chant broke out for a few seconds as staff picked up scraps of paper on stage.
The School of the Art Institute did not respond to a request for comment, and the Crown family could not immediately be reached.
The actions by students at the commencement follow similar demonstrations at other schools. Dozens of students walked out near the end of Yale University’s commencement Monday. On Sunday, President Joe Biden was met with silent protests as he spoke at the commencement ceremony at Morehouse College in Atlanta. On May 12, dozens of students at Duke University walked out as comedian Jerry Seinfeld spoke at commencement.