ANN ARBOR — A Palestinian solidarity group at the University of Michigan launched a campaign to divest from companies that profit from the Israeli military. Students Allied for Freedom and Equality (SAFE) proposed the divestment resolution to the Central Student Government (CSG) on Tuesday, March 24. 

The resolution asks the student government to support creating a committee to investigate ethical concerns about the university’s investments. It targets four companies, The Boeing Company, Caterpillar Inc., G4S and the United Technologies Corporation. CSG will vote on the resolution on Tuesday, March 31.

Last year, SAFE attempted to pass a similar resolution and sparked a debate on campus that gained national attention. Last March, CSG decided to indefinitely postpone the resolution, which prompted the students who support it to stage a sit-in at the student government’s chambers and rename it the Edward Said Lounge.

During the sit-in, then-CSG President Michael Proppe apologized to SAFE activists and pledged to work on repealing postponing the resolution. 

The following week, the divestment proposal was up for vote again and the student government meeting attracted more than 600 students who watched it in the Rogel Ballroom and via live streaming in an adjacent room. Despite gaining momentum, the resolution did not pass.

On Tuesday, eight students and a Dearborn resident spoke in favor of the current resolution. The ballroom was packed with divestment supporters during the meeting. 

SAFE activist Devin Jones told The Arab American News that the student group is optimistic about the awareness the divestment proposal will spread, but is pessimistic about its passage. 

He said the critical conversations taking place on college campuses are challenging the mainstream narrative on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

“The introduction of social media has change Americans’ perspective,” he said. “There is a mass shift among the younger generation, which is backing away from the unwavering support for Israel.”

Jones said Arab American students were intimidated on campus during last year’s divestment campaign.

“I’m White-passing,” he said. “But whenever I wore a kuffiya or something that would tell I am an Arab American, people would look at me like I don’t belong.”

Jones added that Muslim students who wear the hijab felt “endangered” during that week.

He said U of M has a problem with inclusion, as evident by the dwindling numbers of minority students accepted to the University.

On Tuesday, the hashtag #UMDivest was trending on Twitter with thousands of tweets supporting and criticizing the campaign.