News and Views from the People's Struggle
Milwaukee, WI – A spirited group of more two dozen student protesters gathered outside the Golda Meir Library on the afternoon of November 15 for a rally called by UW-Milwaukee Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). The assembled group chanted and heard speeches before beginning a march throughout campus.
St. Paul, MN – On November 11, over 600 college students from Saint Catherine University, Macalester College, Augsburg University, Saint Thomas University, Carleton College and the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities rallied at Macalester College and then marched in the Mac-Groveland neighborhood to demand an end to the ethnic cleansing of Gaza.
Tallahassee, FL – On November 10, approximately 30 students at Florida State University attended FSU’s Board of Trustees meeting to demand the university divest from Israel. The students were organized by the Florida state chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (FSU SDS).
Seattle, WA – On November 9, over 200 students from high schools across Seattle walked out and gathered in front of the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building to demand no more U.S. aid to Israel.
As students from Cleveland, Franklin, Nathan Hale and Garfield schools marched and converged at the Federal Building, joined by activists and community members from across the city, the energy was electric. The crowd chanted “From Palestine to Mexico, all the walls have got to go!” and “Not another nickel, not another dime, no more money for Israel’s crimes!”
Arlington, TX – On November 8, almost a dozen University of Texas at Arlington students gathered in the mall in front of the University Center to protest the Israeli bombing of Jabalia Camp, one of the largest refugee camps in Gaza.
Austin, TX – On Thursday, November 9, students at UT Austin held multiple Palestine solidarity actions in response to the national day of action to Shut it Down for Palestine.
San Jose, CA – Student activist Gia Davila of the Tampa 5 visited San Jose on October 26, as part of the Justice for the Tampa 5 national speaking tour. She spoke at two events about how the Tampa 5’s struggle against systems of repression became personal when they were brutalized by the police and betrayed by the justice system.
Minneapolis, MN – Over 500 University of Minnesota community members gathered on the Northrop Mall and inside of Morrill Hall over the course of two days for a public reading of the known names of thousands of Palestinian civilians killed during the ongoing genocide in Gaza since October 7.
Minneapolis, MN – On Wednesday, November 1, the day President Joe Biden visited Minnesota, students at Augsburg University in Minneapolis held a “die-in” to make conspicuous and visible the slaughter of 3500 Palestinian children – as of that day – during the ongoing bombing of Gaza by Israel. This was one of several Wednesday actions by Palestine solidarity activists confronting Biden from the moment he arrived in Minnesota until he left.
Milwaukee, WI – 30 students, faculty and others attended a town hall meeting with the new Provost and Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs Dr. Andrew Daire, at the Fireside Lounge on the campus of UW-Milwaukee (UWM) on October 31. Some of those in attendance were mobilized to the meeting by the UWM chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).
The purpose of the talk was to present on the current enrollment situation at the university. Numbers have declined steadily since 2010 with nearly 7000 fewer students attending UWM in 2023 than a decade ago. One of the most glaring enrollment statistics is that UWM’s student body is only 6% Black. For context, Milwaukee has a population that is roughly 40% Black, and Milwaukee Public Schools has a student body which is 50% Black.
“The discrepancy between enrollment numbers of Black students at UWM and the population of Milwaukee and the public schools is despicable. It demonstrates that there is an overall lack of commitment from the administration at this university to live up to their claims of being a diverse and inclusive campus,” said Patricia Fish, a leader in SDS.
SDS members grilled the provost with questions about what he and the administration were going to do to address the situation, but Daire proved skillful in spending a lot of time saying nothing of substance and passing the buck on to others, claiming that he “has no power” to make the changes he wants.
The efforts around holding Daire’s feet to the fire are a part of SDS’s broader campaign to increase Black enrollment at UWM, which also includes demands around increasing the hiring of Black faculty and staff, the targeted recruitment of Black students from Milwaukee Public Schools, an increase in the scholarships and other financial aid offered to incoming students as well as for those students already attending UWM to assist with retention, and defending and expanding the funding for the Black Student Cultural Center.