Tampa, FL – Over 30 students protested to change the name of the C.W. “Bill” Young building at the University of South Florida on April 19. Young was a Florida senator who participated in the Johns Committee from 1962 to 1964. The Johns Committee conducted witch-hunts, initially targeting communists during McCarthy’s red scare. However by the time Young joined the Johns Committee in 1962, it was zeroing in on gay people, driving hundreds of professors and students out of Florida universities and the teaching profession across the state.
Lufkin, Texas – Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at Angelina College held a rally and march as part of a national day of action. They marched demanding “Education for all!” on April 13.
Milwaukee, WI – On April 6, members and affiliates of immigrant rights activist group United We Dream held actions around the country to raise awareness of a significant issue. DACA+ (Deferred Action for Children Arrivals extension) and DAPA (Deferred Action for Parents of Americans) will return to the Supreme Court after a delay caused by Justice Scalia’s death in February. As the court date approaches, groups in Albuquerque, Milwaukee, and many other cities are holding actions, making noise and taking the streets in attempts to direct media attention toward the families affected by the measures.
Minneapolis, MN – University of Minnesota officials are investigating a suspected outbreak of the norovirus in Minneapolis campus residential halls, according to workers there. Boynton Heath Services, the medical provider for students at the University of Minnesota, provided a notice to students yesterday that warned of “reports of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, in students at Frontier Hall,” a dormitory on campus.
Milwaukee, WI – The Marquette University student organization Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES) hosted its first annual “Together We Dream” Gala, March 31. 200 people came together to celebrate and share the experiences of undocumented students and to raise money for the newly created Ignacio Ellacuria S.J. Dreamer Scholarship at the university.
Philadelphia, PA – CIA Director John Brennan came to the University of Pennsylvania, April 1, for a talk on “modern foreign policy issues, national security, and the future of the global fight against terrorism.” Firmly drawing the line against Brennan’s warmongering, a group of Philadelphia activists and organizers, led by the UPenn chapter of Students for Democratic Society (SDS), decided to disrupt his speech.
Tampa, FL – Over 30 students gathered for a vigil, March 29, in remembrance of the LGBTQIA+ people murdered by U.S. militarism. The event was held in response to the University of South Florida (USF) administration’s defense of LGBT-phobic and militaristic C.W. “Bill” Young. Young was a senator and member of the Johns Committee in Florida, which persecuted hundreds of LGBTQIA+ people across the Florida university system.
San Francisco, CA – On Feb. 25 hundreds of students began rallying at San Francisco State University (SFSU) to defend the first and only College of Ethnic Studies (COES) in the U.S. Due to underfunding by politicians and administrators, ethnic studies is threatened with budget cuts that may close the college.
Lufkin, TX – Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at Angelina College held a banner making party on March 29. The local SDS chapter is preparing for a march on April 13 as part of a nationwide action. The Million Student March is demanding college tuition be free, all student debts be canceled, and that campus employees be paid a living wage of $15 an hour.
Tucson, AZ – Over 400 students from all over the country traveled to the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA) National Conference, held in University of Arizona in Tucson, March 18 and 19.
Tampa, FL – Over a dozen students from Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held signs and chanted on March 22 to mark the 13th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. In 2003, the U.S. launched an illegal invasion of Iraq in order to destabilize the region and secure its own interests. Meanwhile, the people of Iraq continue to suffer from U.S. intervention. Since 1991, the U.S. has been responsible for the death of an estimated 1 million Iraqis due to sanctions and invasions.
Salt Lake City, UT – A protest against presidential hopeful Donald Trump is taking place this evening, Mach 18, in Salt Lake City. Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) is participating in the demonstration.
Tucson, AZ – The National 2016 MEChA conference is being held in the heart of the city of Tucson, Arizona on March 18-20. MEChA stands for Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán, the Chicano student movement founded in 1969. Thousands are expected to meet for discussions and workshops on a variety of cultural, political and national struggles that affect the Chicano nation and other oppressed nationalities.
Minneapolis, MN – Students from the University of Minnesota gathered for the Student State of the University, March 10. The Student State of the University has been an annual response to the administration’s State of the University. The administration delivered its State of the University one week earlier. Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) called for a Student’s State of the University as in an effort to juxtaposition the concerns of students with those of its administration.
Chicago, IL – The announcement of Donald Trump’s visit to the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) came one week before his scheduled, March 11 appearance. Within minutes, there was a Facebook page announcing plans to protest. There was also a moveon.org petition calling on the administration at UIC to cancel the rally.
Chicago, IL – Thousands of protesters are rallying against Donald Trump tonight, March 11, on the campus of the University of Illinois (UIC). Community groups, including the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, have joined join the demonstration.
Charlotte, NC – On March 4, 30 activists from across Charlotte united to march against the ongoing abuse of power and racist violence employed by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) and various police departments across the state.
The Student Commission of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) met recently to discuss building the student movement into a force for change. The students made plans to organize with their friends in Students for a Democratic Society and other student groups, while recruiting more young revolutionaries to the FRSO.
Arlington, TX – Progressive Student Union had their second Donald Trump Piñata Bash, March 1, at the University of Texas at Arlington for Super Tuesday, the day when the primaries for a majority of the South, including Texas, took place. Twenty people came out to look, take photos and bash the Donald Trump piñata.
Saint Cloud, MN – 30 students disrupted traffic at a Saint Cloud State University (SCSU) hockey game, Feb. 27, to protest student debt and the cost of tuition. Three weeks ago, members of the People’s Collective (PC) issued the call for a protest, and members of the University of Minnesota Students for a Democratic Society (UMN SDS), Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) General Defense Committee Local 14, as well as high school students from Champlin Park High School all joined in.