More than 60 faith leaders, including rabbis, are urging the Wayne State University Board of Governors to meet with pro-Palestinian activists and to apologize to those who have been harmed during recent rallies.
The rabbis, imams, and Christian pastors plan to present an open letter to the elected Board of Governors at its next meeting on Wednesday.
Activists are continuing to collect signatures and shared an excerpt of the letter with Metro Times.
The letter expresses “our deep disappointment in the decisions that you made as leaders.”
The faith leaders say the board should “take meaningful steps” to reconcile with students and community members “you have harmed,” starting with a formal apology. The letter also urges the board to commit to meeting with members of Students for Justice in Palestine to “truly listen to their concerns and hopes for a more just and equitable world.”
The letter also encourages the board to “promise” that the university “will refrain from militarized use of force against students in the future.”
But the faith leaders will have to present their letter electronically because the Board of Governors is avoiding face-to-face encounters with pro-Palestinian and anti-war activists by holding its bimonthly meeting virtually on Monday for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. The board also moved the public comment period from the beginning of the meeting to the end, making it impossible for activists to address issues on the agenda before they are voted on.
The board has declined to comment on the changes, other than to say they have the right to do so.
The meeting comes exactly two months after campus police forcibly removed protesters from the last board meeting on April 26, prompting more than 100 faculty and staff members to denounce the “racist assault” on students who were calling on the university to divest from companies linked to Israel.
On May 30, campus police resorted to violence after tearing down a protest encampment. Some faculty and staff members even called for the resignation of WSU President Kimberly Espy for her handling of the protests.
The board has largely ignored the activists’ demands to divest from companies linked to Israel. Pro-Palestinian activists say the board is obfuscating its duties to listen to student concerns.
Activists will continue collecting signatures from faith leaders through Tuesday.
