Black Defiance, a Black feminist student organization, said on Tuesday they are leaving the Student Coalition for Palestine after repeatedly experiencing anti-Blackness and racism.
The organization claimed in an Instagram post that its members and community were “repeatedly met with instances of racism and anti-Blackness” that resulted in “little to no material change in behavior.” A representative from the coalition said the group is developing a “restorative action plan” to mitigate harm.
Black Defiance members rejected attempts to “silence” conversations about anti-Blackness with “excuses of normalcy or inevitability,” the organization’s statement reads.
“The anti-Blackness we, as well as members of our community, have experienced in the coalition has been physically and mentally exhausting and has prevented us from doing real organizing work,” the statement reads. “Our contributions, both material and political, have been consistently devalued and we refuse to stay in this environment.”
Black Defiance wrote that despite its departure from the coalition, the group remains committed to Palestinian liberation. Recent “unfavorable” interactions with the coalition do not reflect the “spirit of the movement” for Palestinian liberation, the post reads.
“We encourage members of our community to remain steadfast in their advocacy, as we believe in the liberation of all oppressed people,” the statement states.
Black Defiance did not return multiple requests for comment. The group is one of the six student organizations on disciplinary probation for their alleged involvement in pro-Palestinian campus protests last spring, including the encampments in University Yard and on F Street and an April protest at the Elliott School of International Affairs.
A representative from the Student Coalition for Palestine, who requested anonymity due to concerns of doxxing, said anti-Blackness is a “pervasive threat” in all spaces, including leftist organizing, and the coalition has previously failed to treat it as such.
The representative added that the coalition is “grateful” for the opportunity to work with Black Defiance and to “hold ourselves accountable” moving forward. The coalition asserts its responsibility to “thoroughly and directly” address anti-Blackness permeating within its organizing practices, the representative said.
“We are dedicated to a joint struggle approach, and deeply regret that we have not practiced our commitment to collective liberation,” the representative said in a message.
Officials charged Black Defiance, GW Dissenters, Jewish Voice for Peace and Socialist Action Initiative with prior conduct violations like community disturbance and disorderly conduct that expire in spring 2026 for incidents that officials investigated in 2023 on Dec. 1 and Dec. 8, according to internet archives of the Division for Student Affairs’ Student Organizations with Conduct Violations sheet, which officials have since removed.