Chicago, IL – On Monday, October 24 more than a dozen activists from Students for a Democratic Society (SDS); Anakbayan, a patriotic Filipino youth organization, and Young Democratic Socialists of America joined together for a demonstration. Students marched on the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) ROTC building to denounce the Biden administration’s intervention in Haiti and demand an end to the 12-year long UN occupation of the island. The protest was planned in connection with the United National Anti-War Coalition’s week of action.
Denver, CO – On Wednesday, October 26, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) attended the Auraria Board of Directors meeting on Auraria campus to demand that the Auraria Campus Police Department (ACPD) withdraw from the Federal 1033 program. The 1033 program, also called the LESO Excess Property Program, allows ACPD to acquire military weapons and other equipment from the Department of Defense. There are currently over 8000 police departments, including many campus police departments, participating in this program.
Tallahassee, FL – On October 20, students at Florida State University, led by FSU Students for a Democratic Society (FSU SDS) gathered to counter-protest an on campus appearance by conservative mouthpiece Charlie Kirk. Kirk is the founder of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), a national organization that peddles racist, homophobic, alt-right talking points on college campuses.
Kent, OH – On October 15 and 16, members of the New Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) from across the United States gathered for their annual national convention at Kent State, Ohio.
Tallahassee, FL – On Tuesday, October 11, Florida State University Graduate Assistants United (GAU) held a march and rally in support of graduate workers’ rights. Some of the demands included an increase of the minimum stipend, raises in accordance with inflation, and no more pay-to-work fees. Around 30 people attended the march from Dirac Library to Landis Green.
Arlington, TX – The University of Texas at Arlington prides itself on the diversity and inclusivity of its campus, and rightfully so; the campus sports an impressive student body hailing from a multitude of cultural, ethnic and economic backgrounds. However, UTA cannot, and should not, parade its “inclusivity” until it openly acknowledges the issue of its racist history. From school-sanctioned minstrel shows and mock slave auctions to the Confederate ideology, UTA continues to wrongfully honor one of the worst purveyors the university’s darkest legacies, Jack R. Woolf.
Arlington, TX – University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) is one of the most diverse campuses in the state of Texas, and the United States as a whole – yet it has a history of segregation and racism that the current administration attempts to whitewash and ignore. A man responsible for some of the most egregious aspects of UTA’s history is none other than former university President E. H. Hereford, who has a bust located in the University Center (UC) named after him.
Storrs, CT – Members of the University of Connecticut’s Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) chapter are rallying to defend the campus’ cultural centers after the new UCONN president’s attack on the Diversity and Inclusion program. On September 28, members of the UCONN board of trustees voted to appoint Radenka Maric as the new president of the University of Connecticut. This decision, without consent from the student body, comes on the heels of Maric’s recent campaign to restructure funding for the diversity and equity program that cuts the budgets of many cultural centers.
On the weekend of October 15 – 16, hundreds of student activists will convene at Kent State University in Ohio for the annual Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) National Convention. The National Convention is held every fall semester and is an important event for building SDS and the broader student movement. This year’s convention will be joined virtually by Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA). Nelson is also a key figure in the resurgence of militant, class-struggle based trade unionism.
Tallahassee, FL – On September 7, Florida State University Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a march in defense of women’s and reproductive rights, following the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade. More than 40 students attended the march from the Legacy Fountain to the Integration Statue, accompanied by chants like “We won’t go back! We will fight back!”
Austin, TX – The Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) organized a rally at the University of Texas at Austin on September 15 in defense of women's and reproductive rights, as a part of the National SDS Day of Action. About 35 students rallied at 6 p.m. at the corner of Speedway and 21st Street on UT campus. Speakers from six other organizations gave speeches condemning the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the Texas Heartbeat Act.
Milwaukee, WI – As the fall semester began at UW-Milwaukee, faculty and staff received an email from the Student Services office asking them to help cover staffing shortages in dining services. Specifically, they were asked to “donate any time [they] can find.” The office framed the request as a need to cover their new dining plan, which will help to address food insecurity, improve options for dietary restrictions, and is aligned with the campus’ strategic plan “to make UWM a radically welcoming place for our students.” Administration laid the guilt on thick.
Tampa, FL – On Wednesday, September 14, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society organized a protest as a part of a National Day of Action around reproductive rights. The rally brought out about 30 students to march across campus to show their support for abortion rights. Members from many other student groups gave speeches to show solidarity on this issue.
Arlington, TX – On September 7, the Progressive Student Union held a rally here to speak out against the reversal of Roe v. Wade, as part of a wider national day of action called by Students for a Democratic Society.
Denver, CO – On August 31, two dozen students and community members marched to the Auraria Campus Police Department to demand the end of their participation in the Pentagon 1033 Program, which provides military grade weapons to domestic law enforcement agencies. Other demands included the defunding and demilitarization of ACPD by surrendering their weapons. The march was led by Denver Students for a Democratic Society. They were joined by the Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee, Movimiento Poder, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.
Tallahassee, FL – On, July 20, the student government of Florida State University passed Resolution 45, “A Resolution to bring attention to the Fair Food Program,” in what comes as a major victory in the national Boycott Wendy’s campaign. The university’s Student/Farmworker Alliance had been pushing for this resolution since it formed as a chapter in 2020. Their reasoning is simple – Wendy’s is profiting off of farmworker exploitation.
Tampa, FL – Hundreds came out to protest the right-wing, billionaire-funded “student group” Turning Point USA summit, July 23. The Turning Point summit featured a gaggle of reactionary, racist and chauvinistic speakers, not the least of whom was Donald Trump, looking to build momentum for a possible second presidential run.
Denver, CO – A group of 25 community members and students of Auraria campus gathered at the César E. Chávez Memorial Building, July 7, outside the office of Senator Michael Bennet. Protesters demanded that Bennet use his position within the United States Senate to advocate for the passing of a national law that would guarantee the right to an abortion in all 50 states.
Chicago, IL – On June 2, 250 students at Little Village Lawndale High School (LVLHS) in Chicago walked out of school to demand “Police out!” They marched through Little Village, which is the largest Latino neighborhood in Chicago, to the North Lawndale neighborhood, which is a Black community. The protest was organized by the LVLHS FightBack student group, which called for “Black and Brown Unity.”
