Ellie Owen and Maddie Luebkert, Editor-in-Chief and Asst. Social Media Editor–
The Bandersnatch, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), and several student bands came together to host Songs for Palestine on Feb. 21. The bands performed live music while DSA and SJP ran a donation table. The table allowed customers to donate money to a GoFundMe and receive a coupon for 50% off any Bandersnatch purchase.
Greta Schreiber ‘24 is one of the leaders of SJP. Schreiber’s goal is to bring awareness to the genocide and mass displacement happening in Gaza and the fact that Palestinians in Gaza have very little access to food, water, healthcare, and shelter.
With everything happening in Gaza, “a fundraiser was the least we can do,” said SJP Co-leader Ali Imran ‘24.
SJP chose a GoFundMe that pays for life-saving, insulated tents where citizens go to stay after other shelters have been destroyed.
Fletch Williams ‘25, one of the leaders of DSA, added that each tent can fit a family of 8-10.
The money raised from the fundraiser can give people in Gaza “a place to live besides a hospital now,” he said.
Williams shared that DSA and SJP have worked together a lot in the past and they share beliefs in anticolonialism and social justice. He helped serve as a connection between SJP and the Bandersnatch to make the event possible.
“When the overalls started playing… and the line was like completely full… people were just like lining up at the donation table we had set up… I just couldn’t believe it,” Williams said.
Schreiber credits Bandersnatch co-manager Antonia Baylor ‘26 with proposing the idea for the fundraiser.
Baylor, the arts manager at the Bandersnatch, attended one of the town halls SJP held when this issue first arose. She was impressed by the way people engaged in conversation so “respectively and productively.”
After the meeting, Baylor talked with the leaders of SJP and DSA about how the Bandersnatch could host future events.
“It seems like if they’re gonna have a space where this message can get out there, it would be a student-run space,” she said.
Baylor explains that SJP has experienced roadblocks planning events in the past. But since the Bandersnatch is student-run, it was easier to plan and run the event. Though the Bandersnatch could not give donations directly, the managers created the coupons to encourage customers to donate to the GoFundMe.
“There were so many people it blew my mind,” said Baylor about the success of the event. “We had to call in extra people to come work behind the counter because the line was so long.”
The events SJP typically hosts are focused around education and awareness, but this fundraiser also provided a chance to take action and fund life-saving humanitarian assistance.
“The visibility and community we build through events like “Songs for Palestine” allows us all to be more informed and to work together,” said Imran.
The student bands that performed were The Overalls, Doghouse and The Cuties. The event kicked off with The Overalls who performed “You Make Loving Fun” by Fleetwood Mac, “Sunday Morning” by Maroon 5, “Beast of Burden” by The Rolling Stones, “Valerie” by Amy Winehouse, “Gypsy” by Fleetwood Mac, “Heart of Glass” by Blondie, “When I’m With You” by Best Coast, “Be My Baby” by The Ronettes, and “Hey Joe” by Jimi Hendrix.
“For everyone in the band it was an immediate yes,” said lead singer Erin Oberle ‘26 about being asked to perform. “We believe the issues in Palestine are incredibly dire.”
The next band to perform was Doghouse. They played “For What It’s Worth” by Buffalo Springfield, “Band on the Run” by Wings, “Jam Song” by Doghouse, “Don’t Let Me Down” by The Beatles, “Piano Song” into “Blue Moon” by Doghouse and Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, and “Long Tall Sally” by Little Richard.
“Since it was in the Bandersnatch, we experimented with the idea of doing some of our less intense songs. One thing I really wanted to include was some sort of protest song, and John ended up suggesting For What it’s Worth by Buffalo Springfield. The choice to do this first and as an acoustic song was to draw the attention to the song’s message. It was written to highlight youth protest, which we found to go hand in hand with some of the events here on campus,” said bass guitarist Eli Lishack ‘26 of Doghouse.
“Protest led by young people is an unbelievably important thing to keep alive at Denison and around the globe and I believe music is one of the best ways to support it,” Lishack added.
The Cuties were the last band of the night. They played “Motherland” by Julia Jacklin, “Blowing In The Wind” by Bob Dylan, “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye, “Let Me Roll It” by Wings and “He Can Only Hold Her” by Amy Winehouse. “We tailored our setlist to the event, but also to the atmosphere of the Snatch. In general, we played quieter songs, and added in a few historical anti-war and pro-peace songs by Bob Dylan and Marvin Gaye,” said guitarist Lula Burke ‘24 of The Cuties.
“I am constantly in awe of the work that the affiliated organizations do and the passion that they have, so I was immediately interested in offering my support to SJP and DSA. More importantly, we have witnessed the murder of at least 29,000 Palestinians as of Feb. 25: Performing at this event and donating money brought many community members together and also helped provide life-saving facilities to those in Gaza,” Burke added.