Author: Riona Sheikh
-
Students commemorate lives lost in massacre in Philippines, call for “end to US imperialism”
As candles flickered in front of framed photos, around two dozen students and community members gathered for a vigil on the evening of Tuesday, May 5, 2026 in McKeldin Mall to commemorate victims of the Toboso massacre in April. “The Negros 19 massacre was not an isolated event nor an accident. It is a product…
-
“Your disregard is visible”: UMD community members advocate for greater support, transparency for Nyumburu Cultural Center
Safiyah Fatima contributed reporting to this story. Chanting “say it loud, I’m Black and proud” and “Psyche stays,” more than 50 students walked from the Nyumburu Amphitheater to the Thomas V. Miller Administration Building on Wednesday in demand of increased student involvement and care from the University of Maryland’s (UMD) administration and UMD’s office of…
-
Students rally outside Smith school event, call for an end to “normalizing genocide”
A Palestinian flag caught the wind, waving in the air as protestors chanted, “No normalization, we demand liberation” outside the Robert H. Smith School of Business on the evening of Tuesday, April 21 in opposition to a panel event held by the school featuring various speakers to discuss how to promote dialogue, with a secondary…
-
From 2017 to 2025, here’s a history of divestment bills for Palestine at UMD
DISCLAIMER: Riona Sheikh serves as the Executive Vice President of UMD’s student government from 2025-2026. Over the last decade, hundreds of students on this campus have gathered to pray for Palestinian people killed by Israel and protest the University System of Maryland’s investments in weapons manufacturing companies and other institutions supporting Israel. After almost eight…
-
Over 100 students rally against ICE, call for sanctuary campus at UMD
As the sun beat down on the pavement in Hornbake Plaza, over 100 students gathered Tuesday afternoon to advocate for the University of Maryland to declare itself a sanctuary campus by adopting policies protecting undocumented students. The rally, which was primarily organized by this university’s chapter of Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA), featured student…
-
Deadly Indonesia floods spark conversations on campus awareness, deforestation, corruption
Catastrophic flooding and landslides in Indonesia in late November have killed more than a thousand people, making it among the worst natural disasters in the world this year. The disaster, which has displaced more than a million people in Indonesia and injured thousands, tore across Sumatra island, burying entire villages under mud. Debris from the…
-
Local small business owners compete in ‘Pull Up & Pitch’ event
Dozens of small business owners came to the University of Maryland’s Stamp Student Union on Saturday to deliver 60-second pitches at Black Girl Ventures’ “Pull Up & Pitch” event, where they competed for thousands of dollars for support of their ideas. The event, which is held at venues across the country and has partnerships with…
Al-Hikmah 