Radhika Sainath in Boston Review

On Thursday, senior staff attorney Radhika Sainath published an essay in Boston Review on the right to boycott. Her essay touches on the legal battles for and against anti-boycott legislation in more than two dozen states, as well as how these laws have impacted activists and everyday people. Here are some excerpts:

“These blacklists and loyalty oaths are not simply a method to proactively affirm support for Israel, but also a tactic to discourage U.S. citizens and companies from taking part in campaigns to support Palestinian rights. Lawmakers have been remarkably candid on this front. Washington State senator Michael Baumgartner, for example, in vowing to introduce a bill that would prohibit universities from boycotting Israel, said his intention was to ‘prohibit’ BDS and ‘just shut down these conversations [so] everybody can focus on…educating rather than being a politically-correct weapon.’”

“Indeed, like the boycott of white-owned stores in the 1950s and ’60s—which emerged from a racial justice movement that utilized boycotts among other forms of protest—boycotts challenging Israeli state practices are a form of political protest arising from a movement demanding freedom, justice, and equality.”

Read more at Boston Review.