Last April, as the death toll in Gaza reached 34,000 and Israel conducted a second raid on Al-Shifa Hospital, Erin Donovan, a ninth-grade English teacher at Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland, began wearing a "Free Palestine" pin at school. The school promotes values of social justice and community enrichment, and Donovan intended the pin to indicate to her students that she was approachable regarding their feelings about the traumatic events they were witnessing online. However, on April 25, she received an email from Principal Doug Evans requesting she stop wearing the pin due to a complaint from a student's family. Donovan refused, arguing that her pin aligned with the school's commitments to dignity and diversity.The situation escalated when Evans reiterated his request in a meeting, leading to a warning of insubordination if she continued to wear the pin. Donovan described her choice to wear it as a small yet significant act of personal expression amidst larger global issues affecting educators and students alike. By June 4, after ongoing discussions with school officials, she was told to remove the pin or face termination. She chose to keep wearing it and received her termination letter the following day.This incident reflects a broader trend of retaliation against individuals expressing pro-Palestinian sentiments across various sectors, including education and healthcare. Reports indicate a significant rise in employment discrimination complaints related to Islamophobia and political expression since October 2023. Advocacy groups like Palestine Legal have documented numerous cases of retaliation, including terminations and other punitive measures against workers for their political beliefs.In one notable case, Christine Harb, a Palestinian American medical resident at Hennepin Healthcare in Minneapolis, faced the cancellation of a scheduled lecture on health issues in Palestine just days before it was set to occur. Although initially approved by leadership, the event was postponed without discussion, leading Harb to feel disrespected and targeted due to her background and advocacy.Overall, these incidents highlight the challenges faced by individuals advocating for Palestinian rights within professional environments that may prioritize political neutrality or fear of controversy over open dialogue and support for marginalized communities.