I remember that feeling when I first received my degree from Seattle Central in the mail after years and years of taking correspondence courses. The long hours of doing homework alone in my cell, handwriting essays and scrambling to meet deadlines. Prison staff tossing my assignments and study notes around during cell searches. Finding time to study in between honoring my commitment to my people on the prison yard. None of that mattered in the end. Because at mail call that day, I was the first person in my family to receive a college degree, and I did it from a prison cell.
There wasn’t a huge graduation ceremony. No balloons or flowers. But nothing could put a damper on the joy and sense of accomplishment that filled my heart that day. And nobody would ever know the personal sacrifices made in order for that piece of paper to be slid under my cell door. I’m sure anybody who has graduated from any level of school can relate to that feeling… and that struggle. It’s that personal experience that makes the next part of our story hit just a little more closer to home than usual. Well, that and a few more things.
A few days ago, I was watching the local news when a story aired about an incident that occurred at Seattle University’s commencement ceremony this year. Video footage that followed showed the provost of the university, Shane Martin, snatching what appeared to be a Palestinian flag from Sumeyya Osman, a Muslim student, just as she was receiving her degree. As the awkward exchange continued on stage, Martin could be seen grabbing Osman’s arm in an aggressive manner as he hid the flag from view. End of video.
According to a report by KUOW, Osman said she thought Martin was going to just shake her hand before the incident. But when she expressed her desire to pass on the handshake because Muslim women don’t tend to shake hands with men outside of their family as part of their religion, Martin proceeded to snatch the flag out of her hand, and the rest is history.
Damn, what a jackass, right?
As I let what I just watched sink in a bit, I wondered how Osman must have felt on that stage being mistreated and disrespected on a day that I could only imagine should’ve been one of the happiest days of her life. I know it would’ve been one of my happiest.
I then began to wonder what was going through Martin’s mind. Would he have treated Osman that way if she wasn’t a Muslim woman? Would he have snatched the flag if it wasn’t a Palestinian flag? Would the same thing have happened if a Jewish student tried to wave Israel’s flag on stage, and would more people give a damn? One could only speculate.
Look, I’m just gonna say it, y’all… mainstream America doesn’t give a shit about Palestinians or what’s happening in Gaza and the West Bank. Because if people really cared, how could they ever ignore the more than 75,000 Palestinian deaths in Gaza since October 7th, 2023 alone (many of them women and children)? How could they just change the channel as schools and hospitals get bombed? How could they continue to vote for politicians who claim that somehow any support for Palestinians and any critiques of Israel is anti-Semitic? How…? Yeah, I don’t know either.
By the way, I’ll let you decide who “mainstream” is.
At the end of the day, it’s this same sentiment and indifference that continues to fuel the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and emboldens a university provost to treat a graduate like a suspect.
Our community has grown too accustomed to turning a blind eye when the oppression of others appears to not directly impact us. And until we are willing to see how anti-Blackness, mass incarceration and the Prison Industrial Complex, Palestinian genocide, poverty, and Capitalism are all connected, nothing will ever change. They’ll continue to get worse while communities of color are forced to survive the negative impacts. Yes, that means all of us!
Personally, I’m extremely proud of Sumeyya Osman. Not just because of her educational accomplishments, but for having the courage to stand for what she believes in even when what she believes in means risking backlash from the Shane Martins of the world. Courage like that should be commended, but now it’s on the rest of us to rally around Sumeyya and others who are fighting for justice to demand accountability to ensure that future youth also continue to have a platform to stand up for what they believe in.
It’s that same commitment that inspires me to share the rest of the space of this installment of “On the Fence Line” with the youth of Seattle University whom are fighting for yet another just cause worthy of our support. These brave students, like Sumeyya, are also standing for what they believe in and against what they deem to be an injustice at Seattle University. Their petition regarding a tapestry depicting Sojourner Truth that follows below should speak for itself, but most importantly, should serve as an invitation to enact your own courage!
Seattle University… you’re on notice.
Free Palestine! Until next time… keep dreaming!
***
Community Statement Requesting Immediate Removal and Replacement of the Sojourner Truth Tapestry
To the Seattle University Provost and School of Law Administration,
We, the undersigned students, alumni, staff, and community members, write to express serious concern regarding the tapestry depicting Sojourner Truth currently displayed in Sullivan Hall.
The tapestry presents Sojourner Truth in a way that reduces her to physical features and invokes language historically used to distort her voice. For many, this depiction reflects and reinforces harmful ways Black women’s bodies have been viewed, interpreted, and misrepresented.
Sojourner Truth was intentional about how she presented herself. She asserted dignity, control, and self-definition in a society that sought to deny her all three. The current depiction stands in tension with that legacy and risks perpetuating narratives she actively resisted.
The imagery displayed within Sullivan Hall does not remain confined to that space. The law school is part of a broader community, and the images it presents contribute to how Black women are understood, represented, and valued both within the institution and beyond it. What is displayed in this space shapes how students, faculty, visitors, and the surrounding community understand history, identity, and belonging and reflects what Seattle University stands for.
The current depiction contributes to a sense of discomfort and misrepresentation in a space that should reflect dignity, inclusion, and respect. When an image of a Black woman, particularly one as significant as Sojourner Truth, is experienced in this way, it raises serious concerns about how Black women are seen and valued within this community.
While this harm is experienced most directly by the Black community, it does not exist in isolation. It reflects broader patterns of how bodies, identity, and history are interpreted and represented, and therefore impacts the entire community that engages with this space.
Given these concerns, we respectfully request:
- Immediate removal of the tapestry from public display. The harm is ongoing and should not be prolonged.
- A clear commitment to replace the piece with a representation that reflects Sojourner Truth’s legacy with dignity, accuracy, and care. A replacement work has already been identified: a depiction of Sojourner Truth by artist Hiawatha D., which is currently available. The artist is willing to engage directly to facilitate acquisition.
- A replacement process that includes meaningful engagement with students, alumni, staff, and community members, particularly those most impacted.
This request is not to r e m o v e Sojourner Truth from this space. It is to ensure that she is represented in a way that aligns with her life, her agency, and the values this institution claims to uphold.
How the institution responds in this moment will reflect its true commitment to equity accountability, and community.
We request prompt and decisive action.
***
Felix Sitthivong is an incarcerated storyteller, community organizer, and founding member of the Peoples’ Empowerment Assembly for Collective Equity (PEACE). Sitthivong is also the former president and senior advisor for the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Awareness Group (APICAG). He is currently serving a 66-year sentence at the Washington Corrections Center in Shelton, WA. Reach him with questions for “On the Fence Line” via Securus (WA #354579) or write to him at Felix Sitthivong #354579, PO BOX 900, Shelton, WA 98584.
Felix Sitthivong is an incarcerated storyteller, community organizer, and founding member of the Peoples’ Empowerment Assembly for Collective Equity (PEACE). Sitthivong is also the former president and senior advisor for the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Awareness Group (APICAG). He is currently serving a 66-year sentence at the Washington Corrections Center in Shelton, WA. Reach him with questions for “On the Fence Line” via Securus (WA #354579) or write to him at Felix Sitthivong #354579, PO BOX 900, Shelton, WA 98584.
