A Conversation with Mohsen Mahdawi
Friday, January 9 | 9:30 a.m. – 12 noon
SBCC’s Schott Campus Auditorium 310 W. Padre Street (parking lot entrance on Bath St. between Padre and Los Olivos)
VISTAS member price: $20; non-member price $30
Presented by David Bisno and Mohsen Mahdawi
Mohsen Madawi was born and raised in a Palestinian refugee camp on the West Bank. Several friends and family members were killed by Israeli Defense Forces when he was young, but as a way out of grief and rage, Mohsen heeded his uncle’s words: “Education is your only way, and hope is the path moving forward.” He became a university student in Ramallah before escaping over the wall in 2014, first into Israel and then on to the U.S., where he met David Bisno in New Hampshire. After auditing courses at Dartmouth and attending Lehigh U. on a full scholarship, Mohsen moved to New York to attend Columbia, where he was elected president of the Student Palestinian Union, applied for U.S. citizenship, and embraced Buddhism. After the events of October 2023 in Gaza, Mohsen spoke out on the Columbia campus in support of Middle Eastern peace, Palestinian rights, and Israeli security. Last April, at a U.S. citizenship interview in Vermont, Mohsen was handcuffed and taken away by ICE agents and spent 16 days in detention. He is now a grad student at Columbia while awaiting a pending case before the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, which will determine whether his (and all of our) First Amendment rights to free speech will prevail. Come join us to learn more about this extraordinary young man’s life, struggles, and goals.