Peace and Justice Studies Student Council Organizes Solidarity Rally for Iranian People
By Ella Prieto, Staff Writer
Solidarity with Iran Poster (Photo courtesy of Peace and Justice Studies)
The Peace and Justice Studies Student Council hosted a solidarity rally for the Iranian people on Wednesday, lasting from 4 to 5 p.m. at the Peace Pole.
Prior to the rally, the council also organized an event on Tuesday at International House, where students made signs to display at the rally. One sign had an illustration of Mahsa Amini with the words “Say Her Name,” while another depicted the pre-revolutionary Iranian flag.
Two posters provided resources for participants to inform themselves about the purpose of the rally. One focused on scholarly sources, such as the Kurdish Peace Institute and the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights. The other included accounts to follow on social media, such as @diasporaofiran on Instagram and @esmaeilion on Twitter.
At the beginning of the event, Peace and Justice Studies Student Council co-president Monica Solis ’25 initiated the conversation and welcomed other participants to interject when they saw fit.
Solis discussed the importance of amplifying Iranian issues and the voices of individuals in Iran, especially because the media in Iran heavily censors any dissent. Others in the crowd spoke of the recent acts by the members of Iran’s national football team, who protested during their appearance at the FIFA World Cup.
Once the conversation wrapped up, the audience was invited to tie ribbons the colors of the Iranian flag on a string running from three trees slightly in front of the Peace Pole.
In discussing the significance of attending the rally, Robyn Renaud ’26 said, “I think that it’s really important that if we’re going to say that we stand for freedom and civil rights in America and Western countries, that we fight for those things in other countries as well, which are far less privileged than we are.”
Solis and her co-president Rowan Lauver ’23 gave similar reasons for why they planned this rally.
“We wanted to organize this event because there’s been an explicit call for solidarity, and we thought it was important to demonstrate our solidarity within our campus community,” said Lauver.
Solis added, “I think we live in a time now where everyone sees the ability we all have together to help a nation, like with Ukraine, no matter how far apart you are. Iranians need our help and are asking for our help, so we need to step in and help because we all want a world that is more equal and free.”
Following the event, Solis reported that a number of students expressed how important the event was to them and how grateful they were for the opportunity to show their support for Iran.
The rally ended with Lauver and Solis thanking the participants for coming and promising future events to come.
