Tallahassee, FL – On February 12, over a dozen students of Florida A&M University gathered at the university’s iconic Eternal Flame to stand up against the consolidation of numerous degree programs, including the university’s Black history programs.

The rally was one of FAMU Students for a Democratic Society’s first actions on campus. FAMU, a public historically Black college (HBCU), has seen an upsurge in the student movement after constant attacks on the student body and Black history by the state’s Republican establishment.

One of these most recent attacks was aimed at the African American Studies programs, and it follows a pattern of consolidations, terminations, and removal of humanities programs in states across the country.

“Black lives matter! Black history matters!” FAMU SDS President Justin Jordan led students in chanting around the school’s Eternal Flame to oppose the consolidation of African American History programs.

In addition to rallying at the Eternal Flame, protesters also marched through the quad area where students campaigned for positions in FAMU’s student government and SGA, chanting and holding signs.

“Black studies built Black leaders,” one sign read.

“FAMU’s academic diversity matters,” read another.

Students also tried to speak during public comment at the FAMU Board of Trustees meeting, but the meeting was fast-tracked, and only one member of FAMU SDS was allowed to talk.

University leaders told students that the “decision had already been made,” regardless of the lack of public comment or a university forum for students to voice their discontent.

Despite the university’s attempts to sway public opinion, the student body has clearly voiced its discontent with the erasure not only of African American Studies but also of a whole host of other programs, including fine arts, mechanical engineering, environmental science, and many other crucial degree programs.

FAMU SDS’s post informing the student body about the situation has reached over 100,000 people, and FAMU SDS is dedicated to continuing to fight for the students of FAMU.

FAMU has a long history of activism, from Wilhelmina Jakes and Carrie Patterson, who refused to leave their seats on a city bus and launched the famous Tallahassee Bus Boycotts, to the students who formed the Malcolm X Liberation Front. The students are now ready to carry on that legacy of struggle, fighting against repression and an administration more concerned with lining its pockets than addressing student concerns.

FAMU finds itself in a perilous position, with an incredibly unpopular MAGA puppet in office, Marva Johnson, who not only attended a White House “Black History” event, but also proudly went on a trip to Israel with FAMU students during Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people. Johnson was on the committee to help organize the ultimately cancelled 2020 Republican National Convention.

For many years, FAMU has been under the gun, from the threats of consolidation with the nearby public predominately white institution in the 1970s, to the abolition and eventual relocation of its law school, to staggering disparities in funding. Still, FAMU has persisted, through bold student struggle.

FAMU’s chapter of SDS plans to continue that legacy of struggle, fighting for bold progressive change on FAMU’s campus!

To get involved, follow @famusdsofficial on Instagram.

#TallahasseeFL #FL #StudentMovement #FAMU #SDS #HBCU #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican