Tampa, FL – Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a rally at the University of South Florida calling for justice and all victims of police brutality, highlighting Jamee Johnson, a Black man who was murdered by officers in Jacksonville. At the February 19 protest, about 15 students promoted the need for community control of the police through police accountability councils. They also demonstrated for their ongoing campaign to increase Black enrollment at USF.

With chants saying, “USF shame on you! Black lives matter too!” the students used the rally to reach out to the student body about the ways that the university continues to be complacent with white supremacy. One member of SDS said, “It’s a continuous struggle to organize at USF, but this event was another step towards increasing Black enrollment at USF.”

This action took place alongside SDS’s Increase Black Enrollment campaign which highlights the university’s lack of Black students and looks for ways that USF can increase Black enrollment.

Black enrollment at USF was 9.4% in fall 2019, whereas the Black population makes up 24% of Tampa. The student group says that a lack of resources and a wave of white supremacy on the campus are responsible for the decrease in enrollment of Black students at USF, and that the university administration needs to do more to reach out to the surrounding community.

The Tampa Bay SDS chapter continues to fight back against racist university policies and stand with students of color and their struggle with white supremacy at USF.

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