It was a bustling weekend in early March. Birds were chirping, students were starting to lose sleep over midterms and Ukrainians were pleading their case to the world after Russia commenced their attack upon them. Our brave Ukrainian students were reporting on the frontline and amplifying the work of Ukrainian Crisis Relief NGOs and organizations so that their families and fellow citizens could safely evacuate the country. They required awareness, and the NYU Abu Dhabi community validated their struggles. I was thrilled to see the solidarity amongst our peers and joined the fight enthusiastically.

Unfortunately, I noticed that the solidarity that followed the Ukrainian struggle did not extend to the rest of the globe. Hypocrisy plagued rhetoric around global wars, exemplified by a CBS reporter’s statement that “Ukraine is relatively civilized” as opposed to other parts of the world and further that, “this [Ukraine] isn’t a place, with all due respect, like Iraq or Afghanistan that has seen conflict raging for decades.” The reporter was clearly being racist in their rhetoric and profusely apologized later, but it draws a wider picture for us all. In this case, what makes a group of people more civilized other than their skin color? I would argue skin color plays a significant role in this situation due to the relatability politics it brings out in the western sphere. People are a lot more likely to exhibit prosocial behavior such as donating or paying attention to a cause if they can picture themselves in that particular context. This was demonstrated by an interviewee on BBC: “It’s very emotional for me because I see European people with blue eyes and blond hair … being killed every day.” That statement did not resonate with me because human beings across the board should be extended the same empathy and emotion. At the end of the day, as Malcolm X said, “I'm for justice, no matter who it is for or against. I'm a human being first and foremost, and as such I'm for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.”

World leaders from the U.S. and the U.K. have vehemently condemned Russia’s actions, and economically sanctioned them, while actively being the main catalysts of genocide in their domestic domains and abroad. The U.K. has colonized nearly every country it has touched and funded the SARS officers that killed several Nigerian civilians. The U.S. has violently cleansed the indigenous population within their own borders and intervened in countless countries including but not limited to Vietnam, Afghanistan, Somalia and Guatemala. This year sadly marks the 11th year of war in Syria — the U.S. is one of the main perpetrators in this context. Moreover, Switzerland, a neutral country in most conflicts, has recently broken their long silence and publicly supported Ukraine. This is a historic move that has shocked the world, yet continues to speak to the political priorities in the west.

These political performances portray how powerful countries have prioritized being on the right side of history solely when it comes to Ukraine. When it comes to other countries, however, they stay on the sidelines or damage them irreparably. Ukraine seems to be a place of interest because the U.S. finally has a reason to ensure Russia is contained post Cold War, and unfortunately, this had to be at the cost of innocent Ukrainians. There seems to be a hierarchy of priority in this world and it has become very apparent in the recent weeks.

In regards to the NYUAD community, a plethora of posts and comments on online platforms allowed the student body to realize the juxtaposition of the opinions around Ukraine versus other countries that are struggling right alongside them. A phenomenon that is prevalent within the NYUAD community is the neglect of Black, African and Palestinian struggles. The Gazelle has reported on how Black and African women have had to deal with racial slurs, Professors disregarding their academic suggestions and targeted searches on campus. On a larger scale, the Black community faces police brutality, disproportionate kidnapping rates and mass incarceration. Furthermore, many African immigrants were seen to be discriminated against at the Ukrainian border, not having an escape route for days, even weeks, during an extremely vulnerable time.

When the Black community asked for an acknowledgement of their struggle, on and off campus, they were met with dismissive and critical posts that trivialized Black folks’ plight by comparing it to other identity groups and providing excuses for not attending events that discuss allyship and their unique positionality.

Moreover, the Palestinian community have been invalidated for their struggle on both a student-body and administrative level. Some of the Palestinians on campus do not even have access to their homeland due to harmful policies. In 2019, President Hamilton suggested that the Students for Justice in Palestine’s pro-Palestinan stance was “divisive”. This was in response to an alumna’s article citing NYU as anti-Semitic for awarding SJP with the President’s Service Award. Additionally, social media posts have unfairly compared the Palestinian plight to the Ukrainian one — essentially insinuating that Ukrainians are acting out of defense while Palestinians are terrorizing and denying the rights of their neighbors. Black, African and Palestinian voices do not garner as much support, and it is extremely frustrating to witness the NYUAD community replicating the same ignorant and hypocritical response to their grief as the rest of the world.

There is no need to pivot the conversation away from those identities because you perceive them as less of a priority. I, for example, come from a family of refugees, asylum seekers and an overall troubling immigration history. My family is used to supporting, welcoming and mourning the loss of displaced individuals across the world. Although I may feel that my family’s struggles are larger due to my affection and proximity to them, I have no right to silence others when it comes to the struggles faced by their own race or country.

There are many concerns surrounding the timing of these conversations. Simply said, there is no “right time” to focus on any particular issue. If there is an unresolved, ongoing war in any part of the world, the world should not avert its eyes. There are certain wars that carry a lot more weight on a global level due to the threat of nuclear destruction, such as Ukraine, but that does not mean other struggles should be disregarded. I hope this message permeates into our culture and we find it in ourselves to critically examine our stances and how they are influenced by our privileges or lack thereof.

I want to remind everyone to continue the fight with our fellow Ukrainian brothers and sisters by donating, spreading awareness and stopping Russian propaganda. May the nuanced discourse on the recent warfare make us realize that our humanitarian aid can be global, because there is no location that is immune to bloodshed. I believe that the NYUAD community can step up and support the world that we proudly represent. In the wise words of bell hooks, “if we want a beloved community, we must stand for justice.”