BY AMIRA BRYANT

In May 2025, students from four California State University campuses launched a hunger strike to protest the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. These students, part of a group called Students for Justice in Palestine, stopped eating to bring attention to the growing famine caused by the Israeli blockade on humanitarian aid. 

They say their goal is to push their universities to stop investing money in weapons companies that supply arms used in the conflict, and to cut ties with Israeli universities connected to the military. What makes this protest especially powerful is how peaceful but serious it is. Hunger strikes are extreme, they can be dangerous for the people doing them, but that’s why they get attention. These students are willing to risk their own health to raise awareness about people who are suffering thousands of miles away. Their actions are part of a larger wave of student-led protests across the country. On college campuses from New York to California, young people are setting up encampments and calling for change. 

This movement shows how much young people care about global issues. Even though the crisis is happening far away, students in the U.S. are speaking out and demanding that their schools take a stand. They believe that where their tuition money is invested matters, and that universities should not support companies that make money from war. The hunger strike also highlights how much power students can have when they work together and speak up. For high school students, this story is a clear example that activism isn’t something reserved for adults. These college students were in high school not long ago themselves. Now they’re leading a national conversation about justice, peace, and responsibility. Their actions remind us that youth have a voice and that voice can lead to real change.