Recently, the Student Workers Collective at Dartmouth has been one of the most prominent activist groups on campus. From the encampment in front of Parkhurst last week to recent rallies on the Collis Patio, they have taken stances on contract negotiations and the Israel-Palestine conflict. Although I think that a combination of pressing social issues can often be powerful and effective tools to help raise awareness, there is a time and place for them. In the case of SWCD, the fusion of being pro-Palestinian and fighting for higher wages for dining workers wrongly compares the struggle of Dartmouth students with those suffering in Gaza, intentionally or not.
By holding Palestinian flags and yelling pro-Palestinian slogans at rallies about student working conditions, protesters place their struggle and the Israel-Palestine issue on equal footing, suggesting that Dartmouth is as equally culpable in both circumstances. This is fundamentally inaccurate – Dartmouth is the direct purveyor of poor working conditions, but only a secondary and indirect supporter of Israel’s attacks on Gaza. So, why do protesters treat them as if they are equal? I agree that Dartmouth’s investment in some major arms dealers is immoral. I agree it should be rectified through divestment. However, Dartmouth’s administration is not as directly tied to Israel as SWCD’s activism might make the unassuming observer assume.
Plainly put, there is a degree of painful irony and ignorance in this implicit comparison – privileged Ivy League students placing their working conditions next to the countless human rights violations and violence against civilians in Gaza is ridiculous. To be clear, I am not accusing SWCD of doing this on purpose. However, I believe it causes many people to dismiss them or take their message less seriously.
Beyond this, SWCD risks fatiguing their supporters when they combine their messaging in this way. It’s already hard to keep up with all of the details of contract negotiations and public statements, so adding on another issue to this pile can be overwhelming for people trying to keep up and support the union.
SWCD’s approach is not unprecedented. The idea is that the struggle of oppressed groups have many similarities, and thus fights for equity should be unified in order to multiply the power of everyone involved. As a progressive myself, I believe that the idea at the foundation of this argument is a good and correct one. Take for example, the American Civil Rights movement and the anti-apartheid movement. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. recognized the parallels between these two struggles for equality, at one point signing a joint statement expressing solidarity with Chief Albert Luthuli, a prominent anti-apartheid activist. Worker’s rights groups often share this same global mentality as well: In 1984, members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union refused to unload a ship for eleven days, because it contained cargo from South Africa.
I empathize with the struggle of members of the union, and with their message. I’ve been a student worker too. I worked in food service and picked up various side hustles while in high school, and I now have various obligations as a part of my ROTC scholarship. It can be exceptionally hard to balance the professional and academic responsibilities, especially when both sides expect you to give them your all.
The solution to this is simple: Separate the two issues. A simple, more focussed message on contract negotiations would be far more effective. It would put more pointed pressure on the College, and I bet it would attract far more supporters. The Israel-Palestine activism is great, too, but keep it as a firmly separate fight for justice.
Opinion articles represent the views of their author(s), which are not necessarily those of The Dartmouth.
The opinions expressed are his own and do not reflect the views of the U.S. Army, the Department of Defense, or any part of the U.S. government.
Eli Moyse ’27 is an opinion editor and columnist for The Dartmouth. He is from Connecticut, and studies government and creative writing.
On campus, Eli is an active member of the Dartmouth Political Union and Dartmouth Army ROTC. He attends Dartmouth on an ROTC scholarship, and upon graduation, he will commission as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He has been an active writer and political organizer from a young age, working on over 15 political campaigns varying from local to presidential races, and publishing both fiction and nonfiction on various platforms.
First and foremost, Eli loves to write, and he intends to make some form of it his full time career after his time in the Army.
